Trapped Behind You
by relativelypositive
Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it. 7th year AU.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. He was all she had, the only one that could see or hear her. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 1: The Trap

"That is not going to help the rumors."

"What's not?"

"Watching him all the time."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Harry waved a hand annoyingly in Hermione's line of sight. She smacked it away with a scoff. They were quietly studying in the library, and she was already thoroughly annoyed that she had to study at a regular table in the middle of the room. _Her_ study room, the room she spent hours in almost every day, was being appropriated, and she wanted to know why.

Hermione watched an elderly gentleman float up to the second floor of the library, a tremendous trunk following obediently behind.

 _That's who stole my spot! What is he doing here?_

Following not-so-obediently behind was Draco Malfoy. He was stopping at tables to greet his acquaintances, terrorize the young students, and flirt with anything in a skirt.

Well, almost anything.

It's not that he ignored her. When he first walked in he had made a scan of the room, located her, _winked_ , and moved in the other direction.

She had rolled her eyes. At herself. It was not that he had winked at her; it was that she had been looking at him, which provided him with the opportunity _to_ wink at her. _Why_ did she look up when he came into the library? She just didn't know.

For some reason she couldn't fathom, Malfoy was on her radar. She didn't know when it happened or why, but she always knew when he was nearby. It was merely a nuisance until Malfoy became aware of the change.

Suddenly he was paying attention to her. From far away it was covert, with winks or slight nods and smirks. She was fine with that. She could ignore that.

When he wandered close to her, and it was _always_ _him_ coming to _her_ , his comments were full of vitriol. He told her she was annoying, and messy, and persnickety, and snotty (which was funny coming from _him_ ), and just generally inferior. Everything he did or said was outrageous around her anymore. He was being an obnoxious attention seeker, and it was unsettling. She tried to ignore him. Harry and Ron constantly stood up for her while she just went back to studying.

Malfoy ignored the boys, which made them madder, and continued to send nasty barbs to Hermione, while she pretended to read.

Then the rumors started.

Hermione sighed heavily as she thought of the swirl of pity that followed her everywhere. _There's the poor girl. In love with Malfoy, and he will never give her the time of day._ She ignored it the best she could, but it had been _weeks_ , and it never let up.

She knew Malfoy had started the rumors. He thought it was fun to mess with her. He knew full well that she did _not_ have a crush on him.

Funny thing was, she never got the feeling that he liked her, either, just that he couldn't stand her not finding him attractive. So he resorted to pulling her pigtails, metaphorically. He wanted to think he was irresistible, and to Hermione he was _completely_ resistible.

Malfoy's conversation was getting closer, and it was, unfortunately, interesting to Hermione.

"Mother insists. Every three years like clockwork. I _am_ the only student important enough to require a portrait."

Malfoy stopped at the table next to where Harry and Hermione were studying and perched on the edge. He angled himself towards them, but addressed the rest of the room. "It really is the most boring process…all the complaining…stop being so attractive! Stop raising that jaunty eyebrow! Your hair is just too lustrous, how will I ever capture its essence? Really, it's such a bore."

While Malfoy was busy being obnoxious, Hermione took advantage of his preoccupation with himself to creep away, quietly climb the stairs, and follow the old man into the study room.

Hermione took a moment to notice that her table had been removed. She watched the man dodder around for a minute, then decided he wasn't going to acknowledge her. She eagerly approached the portrait painter, desperately wanting to know how the process worked.

"Hello, sir, my name is Hermione Granger. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about magical portraiture?"

"Granger…Granger…how do I know that…Granger…." The old man turned to her and back away from her, never making eye contact, grumbling and muttering away as he set up a giant easel and canvas. "Hmmm…Granger…Potter? Yes…Potter and Granger…Mudblood Granger…Mudblood…Granger"

Hermione froze, then backed away, taken aback by his rambling nastiness. "Excuse me, sir, but that is uncalled for!"

The old man turned and focused on her for the first time, and Hermione felt a bolt of terror. She _knew_ him from somewhere. Somewhere bad.

"Incarcerous, Silencio, Petrificus Totalus," the man calmly ordered and went back to setting up his supplies. "Showed up at the perfect time, really. Couldn't have been better. Better that young Malfoy isn't included. Never trusted that family. Think they're more important than the Dark Lord, they do!" Now finished, he once again turned to Hermione and looked her up and down. "Always thought this would be an effective way to dispose of a body. Never been in the position to test my theory. Until now."

 _Who was this man? Why was he doing this?_

 _The perfect way to dispose of a body? What?_

Hermione was terrified, but couldn't help but be fascinated by what the man was now doing to the canvas. She was trying to memorize the enchantments and wandwork he was using. Her mind was going a mile a minute.

 _Escape! Scream! Get help! Escape! Alert the school to the presence of a Death Eater! Remember the spells! Escape! Don't let him get away!_

"You are transparent, even now. Know what happens to a person if they are enchanted into a painting before there is an image to connect to? Me either! My guess is that you will _cease…to…exist_." Finished with his spellwork, the man advanced on Hermione. "Did you know that physical objects can be embedded into a portrait? Usually cursed objects and jewelry for safekeeping. Occasionally a retired wand. It's there, but you can't see it. I am about to put _you_ into this canvas with no way of communicating with the outside world. No mouthpiece. No body to control. _One. Less. Mudblood_."

Hermione felt her body become less substantial as it made contact with the canvas and become incorporated inside. _Incarcerated_.

She was trying to scream, but the spells were holding, even now.

She did not know that in her terror she was screaming for the one person that was _supposed_ to enter the room. The _one_ person that could possibly see what was happening and stop it!

" _Malfoy!"_

A/N:

We will be in Malfoy's world for a while now.

Completely new story, not connected in any way to Out of Hand. For those waiting for updates to the sequel to Out of Hand, I'm thinking I'm going to delete what I had and return to it when I have a clear vision of where it should go.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 2: Day 1 (Not that anyone knew that)

 _Why can I not control myself around her? I almost embarrassed myself in front of her, only saved by the fact that she snuck off without me even noticing!_

Draco scanned his surroundings. There's no way she abandoned Potter in the library. Her books were still scattered across the table, taking up the study space of four or five people. She was still _here_.

He sighed. The spectacle he was making of himself was _supposed_ to culminate in some Granger-annoying. He was really looking forward to that. Had been all day, in fact.

He had spent weeks searching for a legitimate way to make her come to him, and he was stuck on the idea that he needed knowledge that she didn't have access to, except through _him_.

True, there were books about magical portraits, but a first-hand account should be making her britches itch! The opportunity to learn about something Hogwarts didn't teach? Why was she not hanging on his every word?

Well, now he was stuck. He wanted to engage Granger in verbal combat, but he was caught in a web of his own making.

Now he actually had to sit for another godawful portrait.

 _Please save me from myself. I only want to do this if she's there._

It never occurred to him that she wouldn't be transfixed and follow him around like a puppy. This portrait thing was supposed to translate into _days_ worth of time with her.

Draco made his way upstairs, dragging his feet and looking down every row of books, convinced he was going to get a glimpse of her standing on tiptoe to reach an oversized tome.

How often had he stood at this landing pretending to need books on _Charms_ , of all things? He was the best in their class at Charms. _She_ would disagree, but _he_ was the best. He was so good at Charms that Granger didn't even know he had been using a few on her.

Not the "I'm so charming" type of charm, either. Spell-type Charms.

He was trying to pull off something _monumental_. Something miraculous. He _needed_ Granger. Well, he _wanted_ Granger, but she really was the best choice.

At the door to Granger's study room (it really was hers, she set up camp here _every_ evening), Draco took one last hopeful look around and forced himself into the room.

 _It smelled like her._ Ink. Parchment. Something sweet.

Ugh.

He didn't want to have this complication.

Finding her vaguely attractive was one thing, but this insufferable… _ugh_.

 _Nope. Not thinking about it._

"Let's do this, Candless." Draco looked around the cozy, book-lined space. He had wanted to step in here _so_ many times. "This atmosphere is sufficient. I will look appropriately studious. Mother will be pleased."

"Yes, Master Malfoy. And wardrobe? Would you like to be immortalized in your Hogwarts school uniform?"

"For this, yes. Just…capture this room, _exactly_ as it is. That is very important to me. Really, Candless, am I needed for this?"

"Of course not, I can create the background without your presence. I only need you for a couple days at the beginning of the facial painting, then again of course for the enchantments. Shall we meet back here in one week?"

"Yes…fine…."

"Are you preoccupied, Master Malfoy?"

Draco smirked and started pointing around the room. "I wouldn't say that. Paint me leaning against _this_ bookcase and gazing out _that_ window."

"Interesting composition…yes. That will be both unique and flattering."

Draco took another deep breath, involuntarily catching another dose of Granger. He needed to get out of this room.

Anyway, since Granger wasn't here he had no reason to linger.

He waltzed back out of the room without a backward glance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hermione?"

Draco stopped in his tracks when he heard Potter whispering Granger's name.

"Are you up here, Hermione?"

Draco crept towards the staircase, hoping to slip past Potter without being noticed.

"Are you pouting? Is this because it was Malfoy that stole your happy place?"

Draco smirked.

"He's up here. If he finds you lurking around he'll tell everyone you're stalking him!"

Draco moved towards Potter now, hoping to catch Granger near the study room. When he rounded the corner, he just found Potter looking lost and confused.

The boys looked at each other in surprise.

"Potter."

"Malfoy."

"Lost something?"

"Nope. You?"

"Lost something? No."

"So what are you doing here?"

"Ummm… _portrait_."

"In Hermione's study room?"

Draco smirked.

"Malfoy, what are you doing? Are you trying to take things from her?"

"What does that mean?"

"Is this about class standing? Are you trying to throw Hermione off her game?"

"Like that's possible. I've been trying for years."

"This is different and you know it."

"Different how? Nothing I have ever done has affected her."

"Malfoy, this attention you're pointing at her with the rumors and your behavior? She has no idea what it means. Leave her alone."

"What do _you_ think it means, Potter?"

Draco didn't like the look of a smirk on Potter's face. Or what it meant. It made his stomach drop.

"We all leave in three months. Hermione has been apprenticed to an Unspeakable, did you know that? Her future is set. She's _fantastic_. Nothing you do will change her. You can't pull her away, especially not with some juvenile plan. You'll never convince her you like her, even if…"

Draco stared at Potter, wanting him to finish his sentence even while being horrified at the direction this conversation was taking.

"If what? What do you think is happening here? You think I _like_ her? Is that the delusion?"

"Oh, I _know_ you like her. I've been waiting for you to pull your head out of your ass for a few years now. It's obvious, at least to me. _Now_ is not the time, Malfoy."

"You are so wrong…"

"I'm not wrong. I've seen how you hate. You dislike me. You _hate_ Ron. You do not, and have _never,_ hated Hermione. Not even close."

"Please, stop. That snotty girl is not worth a moment of my time."

Draco tried to smirk condescendingly at Potter, but Potter's laugh threw him off again.

"That beautiful young woman that refuses to give _you_ a moment of _her_ time, you mean? Whatever you're planning, whatever you're trying to do? Wait. Let's all finish school, go out into the world, do what we have to do to become normal adults…well, as normal as we can be. Whatever you think you need Hermione for, whatever your grand plot is, it can _wait_."

Draco _almost_ confided in his enemy, if only to clarify that any nefarious plot he may be planning was far too diabolical for any Gryffindor to fully grasp. The subtle nuances of his evil genius were so far above Potter's head that it would be futile. Better than _Weasley_ , who is _deeply_ stupid, but still not on par with Draco intellectually. Or Granger, for that matter.

Suddenly Draco felt tired. If Granger wasn't here he didn't want to waste any more energy on Potter and whatever his bizarre theories are.

"Just go away, Potter."

"I'm _going_. And when I drag her out of here at closing tonight and she's still obsessing over some random thing you did to her this week, I'm going to remind her that you're a coward. And a jerk. And that you _choose_ to be a coward and a jerk. Just so you know, she saw what you did last month. That's the only reason you've temporarily turned her head. Don't think you're special."

Draco watched Potter disappear into the stacks.

If Potter was telling the truth, he needed to escalate his plan.

He'd done so much to her in the last year…for her. He wasn't going to screw this up.

A/N:

Hello again. Thank you to the readers that sent me a note! I appreciate it.

This should move quickly!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 3: Day Two Part One

"Get up, you lazy asshole. You won't believe who's waiting for you outside!"

"Go away, Blaise. I need my beauty sleep."

"Don't I fucking know it, ass face. Get up."

"No."

"Granger's asking for you."

Draco was up like a shot.

"How's my hair?"

Blaise scoffed.

"You're too easy. Put on a shirt, you slob."

"You're right. Granger couldn't handle this," Draco shot back as he rifled through his trunk.

"Do you really think she'd come here? _Ever_? And ask for _you_?"

Draco stopped primping to stare at his best and worst friend.

"Then who's here?"

"Potter."

" _Why_?"

"Stop whining. Go find out. Then tell me everything. I am _so_ enjoying watching you make an ass of yourself over and over."

"Bite me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What do you want, Potter?"

"Have you seen Hermione?"

"Ever? Yes. Recently? No. Did you look in the library?"

"Of course I looked in the flipping library! And the owlery! And the courtyard! I've scoured this damn castle and Slytherin is the only place I haven't looked!"

"Are you asking me if she succumbed to my charms?" Draco asked facetiously while loving the private double entendre.

Potter looked dumbstruck. "No!"

Draco was a little disappointed by the vehemence of Potter's answer. And the complete incredulity that was implied.

"Then why are you asking _me_?"

Now Potter looked uncomfortable. He leaned in, as though they might be eavesdropped upon. Of course, standing outside Slytherin that might be true. Draco took out his wand to perform a Muffliato charm, and was amused when Potter scrambled for his wand…as though Draco would hurt _Granger's_ friend. He needed her cooperation, and he knew being nice to Potter was a necessity.

Draco set up the charm and replaced his wand, then raised an eyebrow at Potter. Potter looked embarrassed, but Draco couldn't blame him. With their history….

Potter _still_ leaned in when he asked his question.

"You have a tracking charm on her, don't you? You show up wherever she is, even in the oddest places at the oddest times. Hermione doesn't have a devious bone in her body, so she doesn't suspect, but it can't all be coincidence."

Draco did indeed have a tracking charm on Granger.

"Why would I go to all the trouble of putting a tracking charm on a girl that eats, sleeps, and studies? It's not like she's unpredictable."

"Reading nook next to Ravenclaw Tower when we were all supposed to be in Herbology?"

"Coincidence."

"Fifth floor women's bathroom at 3:00 in the morning?"

"Had to pee."

"Hog's Head basement."

"Thirsty."

"Luna Lovegood's dormitory?"

"Romantic assignation."

Potter laughed at that one.

"Jermyn Street in London over the holidays."

Draco thought he'd gotten away with that one.

"Public street. Excellent men's clothiers. I would question why _you_ were there more than why _I_ was."

"Ireland."

 _Shit._

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Cut the crap. If you really don't know where she is…then …look in every room in Slytherin. I've already checked…wait! The map!"

Potter started back down the hallway with some urgency.

"Potter?"

"Just check every room! If she's not there…well, it's possible she's not in the castle. I'll know in a few minutes. I'll be back for you if she's not here."

"Sounds ominous."

"Well she wouldn't just run away, would she? She has actual friends that would do anything for her. She's practical, logical, and a safety nut. She wouldn't just _disappear_."

Potter's panic was infectious.

Draco was used to feeling fear, just not at Hogwarts.

XXXXXXXX

LAST JUNE

He hadn't bothered to unpack his trunk. He was ready to run at a moment's notice.

He'd barely stepped off the Hogwarts Express when he realized that life as he knew it was over. His parents had sent a _house-elf_ to fetch him.

Draco had been looking forward to his mother's over-the-top greeting on the platform. It was embarrassing and sweet and Draco had always pretended to hate it but was secretly pleased that his mother made a huge fuss over him.

He arrived home to find his regularly jovial parents were stiff and nervous. He supposed that was to be expected with unwanted houseguests everywhere. His father was withdrawn and his mother was _brittle_. His usual lazy, travel-and-fun-filled summer was snuffed out by demanding, unpredictable, and violent people that had no sense of reason.

Draco thought they were all mad. Every. Single. One.

Was it his family's fault that Malfoy Manor had the most protection and privacy? It was, of course, their due as Malfoys. Their lives were private and were going to stay that way. Draco supposed that was why the Death Eaters had taken up camp there.

The only reason his room was unoccupied was that he was excellent at Charms. _Cave inimicum,_ a Caterwauling Charm, and an Imperturbable Charm had done the trick.

You'd think he'd been expecting an invasion by nasty witches and wizards, but it was really just a teenage boy trying to keep his mother out of his room.

Draco had always been a bit of a bully, and he knew it. It was in his nature.

That's why he hated it immeasurably when the tables were turned.

After the first week his body was littered with minor cuts and bruises.

After the second week he'd suffered his first broken bone.

His father found it convenient to be "away on business" and his mother was more of a silent ghost than a hostess. It was a far cry from the garden parties and Paris shopping trips she enjoyed.

They were _everywhere_. Draco vaguely knew their names and their former occupations. The occupations they had before rejoining the Death Eaters, that is.

They were fine, upstanding citizens until their madman leader returned from the dead and took over their lives. Now they were visibly _devolving_ and common decency had disintegrated.

Draco stayed for his mother. He sequestered himself in either his own room or his mother's sitting room attached to his parents' bedroom. It had been his nursery until he was three, and the room held an inexplicable comfort that the rest of the castle no longer provided.

For three months this is where he plotted and planned. This is also where he had access to his mother's personal library. There were lady-related books on fashion, beauty, and entertaining, as well as treatises on world economics and business ventures. His mother was incredibly intelligent, but she was careful not to flaunt it.

Draco read through all of it. He could now navigate wizarding politics in Haiti and get rid of a pimple.

He also knew he needed to undo the damage to his family and his life. He hadn't chosen to follow the Dark Lord and couldn't imagine wanting to do so.

His mother wasn't answering any of his questions.

Instead, his mother had turned to more annoying topics, such as finding a proper witch to shackle and impregnate.

Of course she hadn't put it that way, but that's how it sounded to Draco.

"Do you have your eye on a particular young lady, darling? You're almost seventeen!"

"Not in particular. Why? Are you in a hurry to marry me off?"

"Not particularly. I just want you to be happy."

"I'd be happy if the nutters weren't roaming the halls."

"Preaching to the choir. We _are_ in a pickle."

"You're not one for understatement. What's going on?"

"Draco, your father and I have backed ourselves into an unfortunate situation-"

"Unfortunate! Is that what this is? I'd say it's a fucking fiasco!"

"Language, darling."

"Come on! Tell me, how did you and father let this get so far? Why did you open our home to these nutcases? You aren't a Death Eater! Why did you agree?"

"We were told it was a meeting. They were told they were relocating. They came in with trunks and familiars and a sense of entitlement that makes my skin crawl. Now, back to my original question: is there a particular young lady that you are interested in?"

"I told you: no!"

"Are you looking?"

"I see them. Some are very pleasing to the eye."

"Are any of the pleasing ones patient, kind, funny, intelligent, and patient?"

"You said 'patient' twice."

"I know you. Let's just say your future wife will need a lot of patience."

"Thanks a lot."

"The truth hurts sometimes, darling. Now, visualize the prettiest girl at school. Is she patient? Is she kind? Is she funny? Is she intelligent? Is she patient?"

"Very funny, mother."

"I am amusing, aren't I?"

"Not so much, lately."

"Circumstances. Really, Draco, does no one come to mind?"

Draco actually thought about it. He'd dated Pansy Parkinson, but she was sort of a shallow bitch. It was fun…she was well on her way to becoming a full-fledged floozy. But she wasn't intelligent, she wasn't kind, and she _really_ wasn't patient. She was funny, in a mean way.

His other girl friends were off limits. He had been brought up with them and they were more like siblings at this point.

Well, the prettiest girl was Granger. Too bad her personality was repellent.

The nicest girl was also Granger. He'd been mean to her for years and she still found books for him in the library. She rolled her eyes and pretended it was painful, but she still did it.

The most intelligent girl was also Granger. Well, crap.

Was she funny? She and her friends were always laughing. Maybe that means she has a sense of humor after all.

And the patience of a saint. Friends with _Weasley_? That must take fortitude the likes of which Draco couldn't imagine.

"Who is it, Draco?" his mother pried. "I can see by your face that you've thought of someone."

"I have, but not for a wife. What would you say if I were to join the Order of the Phoenix?"

A/N:

Obviously, I am not writing a canon story. I wanted the characters to be on the edge of adulthood, when decisions have to be made. Time will shift back and forth as we see Draco's story unfold. If I am not clear about where we are in the timeline, let me know and I'll adjust.

Thank you to those that sent me reviews. I appreciate the time you took to send me a note!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 4: Day Two Part Two

It only took two minutes for Draco to track Granger to her favorite room in the library.

He stood outside and considered trying to scare her, but realized she must be pestering old Candless. He had picked Candless as his portraitist because the old Pureblood was so incredibly prejudiced that he'd never speak to Granger, leaving Draco as her only source of information. He laughed at the thought of Candless pulling what little hair he had left out of his head.

When Draco entered, he was surprised to find the room unoccupied.

He took out his wand to renew the charm, thinking Hermione had left while he was en route, but the results were the same.

It was a small enough room, and the furniture was mostly removed. There was nowhere to hide. She was both here and _not_ here. How does _that_ work?

Potter scared the crap out of him when he barged in.

"Hermione? What are you doing back…oh." He looked confused as he searched the room. He took a step back and looked out the door, then came back in. He turned around, took out a piece of parchment, then looked quizzically around again.

Draco found Potter's weird paranoid-looking dance amusing, but was nonetheless getting anxious.

"She's not here," Potter needlessly stated in stupefaction.

"You're quick."

"Was she here when you got here?"

"No."

"Are you sure she didn't see _you_ and decide to run away?

"Funny."

Potter narrowed his eyes and nodded conspiratorially.

"Your tracking charm says she's in this room."

"If I had a tracking charm on Granger it might say that. I was just checking the most likely place that she'd be. And here _you_ are."

"And here she isn't."

Both boys were startled by Candless arriving for a day's work.

The old coot made snuffling noises as he set up his paints and ignored the boys.

"Time to cover you with books …and shelves… and light. Just the right morning light."

"Do you always talk to your canvases, Candless? You're getting barmier by the day."

"Master Malfoy! To what do I owe the pleasure? Did you change your mind and decide to sit with me? We have many years of Black history I never had the time to tell you."

"Black history?"

At Potter's voice, Candless whipped around. His old knees cracked so loudly that Draco winced in sympathy.

"What you want? Hmm? This is a private studio until I am finished. You have no business here."

"Has there been a girl with curly hair in here asking you questions? She's a bit…bookish."

"Has an annoying wench been pestering you about every little detail? She has horrid, out of control hair and usually ink smudges all over her hands," Draco paraphrased.

Draco enjoyed the glare Potter sent his way.

"No one has been here but you, Master Malfoy."

XXXXXXXXXX

LAST NOVEMBER

"Why don't you just write it for him, Granger?"

She sat down quickly from where she'd been hovering over Weasley, essentially dictating to him his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay.

He loved the effect he had on her now that he'd successfully performed his newest charm. It was meant to enhance the connection between a couple in a committed relationship. If one person wasn't aware…well, let's just say the outcomes were in Draco's favor.

Granger was staring at him. She hadn't said anything yet, but Weasley was visibly put out.

"Hermione, don't let him goad you into not helping your friends!"

When Granger ignored him and continued to stare at Draco, he knew the focusing charm had worked.

What was it supposed to do? Allow a couple to spend time with each other without the possibility of distractions. Oh. And work through uncomfortable truths.

What did it do when Draco charmed Granger but she hadn't cast it back? She focused on him, _only_ him, to the detriment of Weasley or anyone else that tried to talk to her. _He_ had the opportunity to manipulate the situation.

"Granger, you're a pushover. Weasley is _letting_ you do his homework and you're such a dishrag you don't even care. You're just so happy to have 'friends' that you'll do anything for them, no matter how degrading."

"Ronald needs the help! He's just not intelligent enough or as dedicated as he needs to be to take his NEWTs!"

"What?" Weasley screeched. "Hermione!"

"Granger, what does that have to do with you?"

"He's my responsibility."

"Why would you think he can't take care of himself?" Now Draco was getting to the information he was seeking.

Granger was looking only at Draco while Weasley puffed in indignation.

"He's continuously proven that he doesn't care about his studies. But with the danger that surrounds us, especially Harry, I need to make sure he's prepared _now_ , so that when the danger presses in I don't have to protect him…because he can protect himself."

Draco stared back at Hermione. _This witch_ …

(Weasley was staring at her, too, but in shock. The thought that she helped him because she _cared_ instead of because she was crushing on him or he had manipulated her into it had _blown his mind_.)

"So you help Weasley because you…"

"Need to be free to help the younger students…or muggles…or _anyone_ helpless when the time comes."

Draco saw when the charm wore off. Her eyes narrowed and Draco smirked at her, waiting for the fireworks. She never disappointed.

"And you, Malfoy?" Granger's voice dropped to a dangerously quiet level. "What will you do when the Death Eaters are storming the castle?"

Had she really asked him that? Was she asking seriously, or was she implying that he was a Death Eater, right here in the middle of the library where anyone could overhear?

He'd expected outrage and a pretty flush when she realized he'd charmed her, but she dug into the conversation instead of retreating.

"Which way will _you_ run?" she challenged.

Weasley apparently thought this was too deep of a conversation and tried to pry Granger away. He went so far as to pack up her things while Hermione continued to stare at Draco, this time of her own volition.

"Can't answer because you don't want to admit you're connected to evil, or because you haven't made up your mind?"

Draco reminded himself that to _Granger_ he'd been suspiciously…well, not _nice_ , but less antagonistic since last school year.

He'd only hurled insults at her before. Now he could say they'd had _conversations_ , not that Granger always remembered them.

He understood her reticence and did his best to control his temper.

"If _I_ needed protection, Granger…would you protect me?"

He didn't mean for that to sound flirtatious.

Weasley snorted and broke the tenuous connection between Draco and Granger.

"The only protection you'll need is _from her_ , Ferret, when your family is shown to be as evil as they come."

Weasley grabbed her arm to drag her away, but she resisted. Draco could tell she had one more important thing to ask him, and he desperately needed to know what it was.

Weasley rolled his eyes and gave up. He grabbed Granger's bag, then took out his wand and moved a few paces away, giving them privacy that Draco hadn't expected.

Draco warily turned back to Granger, not trusting this development.

She was staring at him with suspicion, but not _suspicious_ suspicion. _Dawning_ suspicion of the _real_ truth, not what he _intended_ her to believe.

Should he let her suss him out already? It was too early in his plan! He'd barely begun to twist her into position. If she knew before he laid the groundwork…would she _care_? About _him_?

"Do I need to protect you?" Granger asked with all seriousness.

"What do you mean? I could take Weasley without my wand."

Granger grabbed his hand, which, due to another charm he'd placed on her, made his hand tingle pleasantly. It also unexpectedly made other parts of his anatomy tingle, but it wasn't the time or the place.

She felt it…and Draco could tell she also _felt_ it…and dismissed it!

She just ignored it! Draco meanly wondered if Granger knew what it was. _No_ , she was a 17-year-old witch. She knew…she knew _lust_ …Draco was sure of it.

But she just set it aside like it didn't _mean_ anything.

Draco hadn't _ever_ felt anything quite like it. It _had_ to be lust…. _He_ had to adjust his damn self…she couldn't just be moving on!

Maybe he hadn't performed the charm correctly…what was he thinking? His charms work was _flawless_.

"Focus, you sneaky jerk!"

Malfoy focused fast.

"What did I do?" Draco asked, feigning innocence.

"You're you. I always assume you're pulling something."

He smirked.

"Stop it. _Stop_." Granger leaned so close to him that for a second he thought…well he had the momentary delusion that Granger was going to _kiss_ him.

He leaned back. This couldn't happen. He needed her long-term, not just until he hurt her…or she hurt him.

Her intent was not to kiss him, however, because she yanked him back impatiently and got _really_ serious again.

"Do. I. Need. To. Protect. You?"

"You? Protect me? From what?"

Granger stood up without another word and walked away.

A/N:

Thank you to Enchantress24, Twilighternproud, FunkieCookie, Sampdoria, einna16, Ms. Halfway, and brookeworm for reviewing! There's something about a person responding to my writing that makes me want to write better and faster. Thanks again!


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 5: Day Two Part Three

"You are so screwed," Blaise said with a grin.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

Draco stared at Blaise across the table, his dinner untouched.

"This is somehow your fault."

"No, it isn't."

"It doesn't matter if it's true or not. The way you've been publically treating her? _Wooing_ her? Everyone is going to think you did something, Draco."

"I wasn't _wooing_ her."

"Tell that to all the people that have been watching you play metaphorical footsie with her for six months."

"What the fuck is footsie?"

Blaise smiled evilly. "It's been that long, huh? Or does Granger tie you up in knots?"

"I'm not into that," Draco deadpanned.

"Granger probably is. She seems like a take-charge kind of gal."

The young men stopped smiling when the Aurors came into the Great Hall.

"I think you need a game plan. Now that the Aurors are here, someone is going to mention you."

Draco was speechless.

"Harry Potter's best friend is missing? Don't act shocked."

"I guess I'm not. It just seems more…serious? Like she's not going to just show up again."

"It's been a day since anyone's seen her, Draco. I think it's well established that it's serious."

"So what do I do?"

"Talk to Snape. Tell him your plan."

"What plan?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"To use Granger to…well, _escape_. Or defect. Whatever you're calling it. You want to run away with Granger. Now, if it was me, I'd be making a play for the girl, too, but you're not me."

"Nope."

"And you clearly don't know when to grab onto the perfect girl for you."

"When was this? And now she's _perfect_?'

"For you. You've known that since fourth year."

Draco let out a frustrated groan.

"But what do I do now? How can I find her? I've tried everything short of truly dark magic. She's _gone_ , Blaise!"

"Go see Snape. Right now."

XXXXXXXX

Draco made his escape and went to his head of house. Blaise's comments were swirling around his mind, and he wanted to get ahead of it. The most devious man in the school just happened to be Snape.

The surly professor opened the door and bid Draco inside.

"What have you done?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you wasting my time?"

"I believe…that I will be blamed…for her disappearance."

Snape glared at Draco and waited for him to continue.

"She…Granger… I may have placed multiple charms on her and her possessions. They are…they could be traced back to me. It would not look…innocent."

Snape's left eyebrow raised while his right eyebrow furrowed. Draco didn't know that was physically possible.

"I've been…I suppose it could be said that I've been…stalking her…a bit. Not maliciously."

Snape started shaking his head…a miniscule movement.

"So now she's missing and according to the…tracking charm…that I placed on her…she's in the library. But she's not….she's really not, even though she _should_ be."

Snape sighed and pursed his lips.

"Blaise thinks…and I'm forced to see the logic…that I'm being set up. Someone saw that I was connecting with her and set me up to be the scapegoat."

"So you think she's dead?"

"No. She's not dead. The charm doesn't work beyond the lifetime of the subject. I think she's been abducted."

"The charm puts her in the library?"

"Yes."

"Which is impossible."

"Yes."

"Have you conferred with Flitwick?"

"Of course not."

"Wouldn't that have been prudent? Clearly your charm is flawed."

Draco involuntarily sucked in a loud breath. "It is _impeccable_ ," Draco whispered, affronted.

"What is the alternative, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape challenged.

The professor waited for an answer, but Draco couldn't answer.

"Either the charm is faulty…or Miss Granger is in the library."

"She _isn't_. Potter and I thoroughly searched. It was excruciating."

"Spending time with Potter usually is."

Draco didn't feel any better. It wasn't very Slytherin of him, but time was not his friend. He was frank.

"When they come for me, what do I do? I cannot explain why I was pursuing Granger."

"Pursuing? Romantically?"

"No! Just…pursuing."

Raised eyebrow. "I fail to see how there is another way of interpreting that word."

"It's just… _different_. Between Granger and me. There's something I need from her. It's personal in that it has to be her, and impersonal in that once it's done we don't have to be friends. Or connected."

"You want to use Granger for what? Tell me. Now."

"I can't tell you."

"Of course you can."

"Respectfully, sir, I'm sure you can deduce what I'm trying to do. _You were there._ You know what my life's turned into. Why do you all follow him? Why did you take a fucking wonderful life and throw it away for hate, violence, and death? Why is it expected of me?"

Draco forced himself to stop. Snape is a family friend, a professor…and a Death Eater. Questioning is not allowed.

Draco's parents knew what he was planning…well, his mother did. And, surprisingly enough, she approved.

She more than approved; she was planning his fucking wedding. No matter how many times he told her that Granger wasn't the witch for him, she just smiled.

"If the Aurors come, tell them you'll only speak to Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"What?"

"Isn't this the reason for this conversation? You're sure you'll be blamed, and you need an out that won't screw up your planned future. Shacklebolt's your man."

XXXXXX

They came for him at breakfast, in front of everyone. The entire place was dead silent. The professors watched gravely; the younger students looked scared.

His fellow seventh years looked stunned. Not even Weasley looked anything but shocked.

Draco wanted to know who told the Aurors that he and Granger were…whatever they were.

They weren't rough.

Draco didn't fight.

The very large man that was Kingsley Shacklebolt simply asked if he were Draco Malfoy and politely asked him to come with them when he had confirmation.

Draco stood tall.

"Stop! Wait!"

Potter of all people popped out of his seat and quickly made his way around the long tables, everyone's eyes tracking his movements.

"Kingsley, why are you taking him?"

Draco was shocked that Potter was showing such familiarity with the Auror.

"Mr. Potter," Shacklebolt answered formally, "we have information that connects Mr. Malfoy to the disappearance of Miss Granger."

"He didn't have anything to do with it, Kingsley!"

"How do you know that? Do you have evidence that exonerates him?"

"Well…sort of. He's been helping me look for her."

"That would be a very manipulative way to make it look like he was innocent."

"When Hermione disappeared, Malfoy was putting on a stupidly dramatic performance in the library that thirty people can attest to, including Madam Pince!"

"And after the performance, is there no way he could have been a party to an abduction?"

"I don't see how. I followed him upstairs. He went into the study room where the painter was. I could see into the room from the landing. No one else was in there. He came out while I was looking for Hermione in the stacks. We…talked a bit…then he left the library. Soon after I realized Hermione just wasn't there. I thought she'd maybe run back to the tower for something and she'd be back soon. When she never returned I started searching. I enlisted Malfoy's help when I'd looked everywhere I had access to."

"Why did you go to Mr. Malfoy? Are you not rivals? Is there not bad blood between you?"

Shacklebolt lowered his voice and added, "He has many charms placed on her school things, even a few pieces of clothing. Charms not taught in school for a _reason_."

Potter got a weird gleam in his eyes. Draco just _knew_ he wasn't going to like whatever came out of his mouth next.

"That's all in the past! Malfoy and I, we're not quite friends, but for Hermione's sake we've made a truce. He's quite protective. I like to think of that as a positive trait."

"For Hermione's sake?"

Potter smiled and looked very proud….

"Well, they are betrothed!" he dramatically announced.

Draco heard Blaise break out in joyful laughter.

A/N:

I'm having a hard time injecting humor into this one. Usually my writing is humor with spots of drama. This seems to be the opposite. We'll see how it pans out!

Thanks again to my reviewers! Veesh the Frog, Buffalochip, and lovinreading, you all rock!


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 6: Day Three Part One

"Are you _insane_?" Draco raged at Potter once behind closed doors.

When Snape arrived on the scene to retrieve Draco, the Aurors were staring at him in shock, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, hearing that Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger had been observed in heated arguments all over the castle wasn't so outlandish…it was _young love_.

Draco wanted to gag.

He had taken their indecision as his cue to sneak away. He cast a quick charm on Potter to make him follow obediently along.

It was a great parenting charm that made toddlers follow their mothers. By the time wizarding children are 6 or 7, they realize what's going on and can choose to ignore it. Since Potter wasn't raised by wizards, he just followed along, not realizing that he was charmed. Draco rolled his eyes. The things this guy didn't know!

By the time they reached the study room in the library, Draco was fuming and Potter was justifying himself.

"You're still here, right? You're not being interrogated by Aurors!" Potter defended.

"It's not like they were carting me off to Azkaban for torture! You idiot…couldn't Granger and I just be _dating_?"

"How many girls has your friend Zabini 'dated' this year alone? That wouldn't have been _hefty_ enough! I need you _here_."

"And I was making plans for searching _out there_. There are more avenues of investigation out there than just the Hogwarts library!"

"What? But the map…your charm! She's still here! She has to be _here_ …."

"What map?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"Wow. Is that going to be your portrait? That's _amazing_."

Draco knew he was deflecting, but decided to wait Potter out. You couldn't keep a secret for long around a Slytherin.

"Of course it is. I don't hire shoddy artists."

Draco turned to take a peek and was duly impressed. It was an incredibly lifelike and detailed depiction of the room.

"Hermione would have loved this. Seeing something so essentially _magic_ being made."

"I was counting on it."

"I know. Parading the artist right past her? Stealing her study space for it? Not very subtle."

Draco felt a little ashamed at being transparent.

"When does it…at what point is the magic added?"

"The _enchantments_ are performed in levels. The canvas is prepped with spells to make the background adjustable by the inhabitant. Then when the likeness is added, there are different enchantments to imbue the figure with a duplicate of the intended personality."

"When are you being added?"

"Not for a few days. Clearly, the background is finished, but as with all paint, it must dry."

"Isn't there a spell for that?"

"For non-magical paintings, yes. If you used a drying spell on a magical painting the images would dry, meaning the books in the picture would become brittle and disintegrate. Any person or animal would have the moisture sucked out of them. It's not pretty."

"Is that book _moving_?" Potter pointed to a book being pulled from its place by an invisible force. It opened, and the pages slowly turned.

"Candless is very good. I told him to capture this room _exactly_ , and that is what he's done. We're in a haunted library, you know. The books float around."

"So, when you're added, you'll be able to converse with yourself."

"I know, it sounds great. But even I tire of myself after a while."

Potter was suddenly quiet. Draco became uncomfortable again, knowing he was going to ask about Granger.

As much as he wanted to talk about her, he didn't want to talk about her with Potter.

"Hermione?" Potter suddenly called.

"What are you doing?"

"Is there an invisibility spell? Something that makes a person mute? Is it possible she's really in here and we can't see or hear her?"

Potter started weaving around the room erratically, as though he were drunk.

"He's finally lost it," Blaise commented from the door. "Spending all of his time with Weasley has finally decimated what little brains he had left."

"How did you find us?" Potter asked, not stopping his jerky movements.

"Interpretive dance?" Blaise guessed.

Draco shook his head.

"Drunk?"

"Unfortunately not."

"Then I am at a loss. What is this?"

"Potter's looking for Granger."

"Somehow I don't think that's going to be successful."

Potter stopped to glare at the boys. "At least I'm trying something different. Walking into this room a hundred times a day and saying 'nope, she's not here' is not only getting old, it doesn't even begin to solve the mystery!"

He stomped out past the Slytherins with barely a nod goodbye.

"Touchy," Blaise muttered, then skirted around Draco to look at the painting.

Both boys stared at the book in the painting, slowly flipping pages.

"He has a point. The professors, the Aurors, no one knows how she disappeared or why. Are they trying everything? Flitwick dissected my charm and pronounced it immaculate. Of course, it no longer works, but all it's done for days is tell me she's here, so it wasn't doing a lot of good."

"So…what do we do now?"

Draco leaned against a bookshelf as he felt a little more hope leave his body.

"I start ingratiating myself to Potter, I guess."

"Why?"

"Without Granger…do you know why it had to be Granger? For my plan to be successful?"

"I assumed it was because she's the most empathetic of the trio."

"And because she's hot," Blaise added before Draco could explain himself.

He couldn't help but smile at his friend. Draco couldn't disagree.

"She's a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

Blaise raised an eyebrow.

"So…you don't just want to escape the Death Eaters."

"No."

"You want to actively _fight_ them."

"That's the plan."

"I'm sorry…why? You could go to Paris or Barcelona or…Denver or Beijing! I understand not wanting to follow the Dark Lord, I'm not going to, either, but being neutral is the way to go!"

"No, it's not. You've been with me every day for months. We've had countless conversations, but this stuff? We don't want to talk about it, as though if we ignore it it'll go away. If we remain neutral the wrong side may win."

"But why Granger, then? There are people we _know_ are members of the Order. Any one of them would be a lot less work."

"But Granger would vouch for me. Without vengeance, like Weasley would. Or most of the others. Let's face it, I am an acquired taste. I am kind of a jerk. I _like_ that about myself. I'm narcissistic, naturally mean, and lack patience."

Draco stopped himself and thought about the forty or so encounters he'd engineered with Granger.

"She has the clout to force them to accept me. She's no-nonsense enough for them to assume she's not just 'under my spell' or crushing on me. If Granger is genuinely convinced that I want to be an Order member, they would accept me. She's kind, but extremely protective. She wouldn't let me within 100 meters of her friends and family if she thought I was insincere."

"So is she convinced?"

"What?"

"Have you chased her around enough, saved enough children from bullying, and proven yourself worthy of her?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way. Ultimately it's not about her."

"I call bullshit. You've changed for her."

"No, I haven't."

"Right. Anyway, she's the one with the standing to force them to let you in. You have access to her, and she's easy on the eyes. You thought, 'hey, you're hot and uniquely positioned, let me romance you into shoehorning me into that covert group that sits in opposition to my family's beliefs.' Sound about right?"

"I am not romancing her, you idiot! I can't help it if I'm exceedingly attractive. That makes everyone think I'm obviously trying to get into her pants."

"You're not?"

Draco tried to outright deny it. It wasn't his goal. He had partitioned any feelings he was having into the "deal with it later" box. After he was indoctrinated into the Order, helped win the war, then moved on with his life, then maybe he'd open his "deal with it later" box.

"No."

XXXXXXXX

 _Well. At least I'm not dead._

Hermione had worried about that. When everything was white she thought she was in heaven. When no one showed up, no angels or relatives or anything, she started to cry.

 _Was this it?_

Then she realized that she felt her body moving. Floating with nothing to anchor it.

When the library started to color in, Hermione felt more relief than she thought possible.

She recognized it. It was her room. She had a floor and a window and books.

They looked so _real_.

Hermione cried again when she pulled a book off the shelf, opened it, and read the words. They made sense. It was like they were real copies, not just paintings of books!

While facing the shelves, Hermione had a sudden thought, then whipped around.

Nothing.

She couldn't see anything but blinding white.

A/N:

Hermione's back! I missed her.

Thanks for the reviews y'all sent me. Beth, FireRuby, Sampdoria, Hazel Abberely, Buffalochip, and Chester99 all sent me notes.

Beth, you're right! I knew where it needed to end, but kept running into a wall. Kingsley is not gone, we are not done with him! He's just postponed.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 6: Time currently has no meaning

She lost track of time.

She didn't sleep. She didn't get hungry or thirsty.

She had been scared for the first hours, wondering when she'd start getting dizzy and the hunger pangs would begin.

Nothing.

She wondered once again if she were dead. But the evidence proved, as much as possible, that she was in the painting, just like the Old Asshole said she'd be.

Hermione was against giving disrespectful nicknames, and she was generally against swearing, but that man would forever and ever be known as the Old Asshole.

Trying to kill a person earns you a mean nickname.

She looked down at her body whenever she started feeling disconnected. Maybe being in the portrait put her system into some kind of suspended animation, while her intellect and muscles still worked?

Magic was funny that way, and it made Hermione fantastically happy.

Anyway, Hermione started working through the books she had access to, and was constantly trying to find information that could help her situation.

The day _he_ started to appear Hermione grabbed a few heftier tomes and piled them in front of the figure, then grabbed a few more books.

She sat and read a chapter, then looked up to see the progress.

She knew who it was. There was never any mystery.

Her first thought was actually, "Oh, here comes Malfoy. At least I won't be alone."

Her second thought was, "What if it's just me and Malfoy stuck in here for the rest of my life?"

Followed by, "What if I'm immortal now and I'll be stuck with Malfoy _for all eternity_?"

She set that aside. The thought was too big for right now.

She watched him fill in. It was overly fascinating, but it took _forever_. And it was _disgusting_.

Bones and blood and veins and muscles and organs and skin. Layer upon layer of what makes a body _alive_ knit together before her eyes.

Hermione was engrossed, but grossed out.

Once the skin was added she began to blush. But since no one was watching her, she continued to watch his body… _all_ of his body. Ahem.

When his clothing was layered on, she was immeasurably relieved, because let's just say Hermione had now seen way the hell too much of Draco Malfoy.

At first he was a freaky blank swath of color, fuzzy but essentially colored correctly.

Then his clothing became more distinct, then minute details like the shine of his belt buckle, the threads on his Slytherin crest, and the polish on his shoes.

His face was last. She didn't know how much she missed it.

Anyone's face, really.

She found herself smiling so hard her cheeks hurt.

His eyes appeared, then color was layered on, then eyelashes, and irises.

His hair came in stages, first as a helmet, then individual hairs in shades of blond.

Ears and nose.

Mouth.

Complete.

But not _here_.

No light in his eyes.

No animation.

Not breathing.

Not blinking.

He wasn't here.

 _Damn it._

XXXXXXXX

Day 7

"I don't understand it, Candless. There's no way she's in here, right? I'm walking through the halls with these suspicious eyes on me, and I want to tell them all to fuck off."

"Hmm. Chin up."

"Did you hear the rumor? It's not true. Mother's so chuffed she sent me a congratulatory pixie light for Granger and access to another Malfoy vault for me. She'll be disappointed."

"Your mother wished the match? To a Mudblood?"

"Mother just wants me to be _happy_ , the old sap. Father is not so accepting…but there's nothing to accept! It's not true."

"That is fortunate."

"What is?"

"That it's not true."

"Hmm."

XXXXXXXX

"Hi."

Hermione was so startled she slipped off her stack of books.

She looked up at Malfoy and saw him smiling down at her.

"Malfoy!" She scrambled up and was about to _hug_ him of all things, when she caught his confused expression. "Malfoy?"

"Yes? I guess?"

"What can you remember?"

"I don't know." He showed no worry, and walked to the shelves and started perusing books.

 _Well, at least he can see me_.

Her most recent fear had been that he wouldn't be able to see or hear her since she was never painted in. And she was technically "painted over" by bookshelves. She could move around them to the back, but she didn't like that side because there was no floor and she had to do the disorienting "floating walk" she'd developed in her first hours here.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Nope."

"Do you know who _you_ are?"

"I guess I'm Malfoy."

"Can you remember _anything_?"

"How should I know?"

"Favorite color?"

He looked down, then up. "Red."

She looked down. She was wearing her red Gryffindor jumper.

"First name?" she asked hopefully.

"Mine or yours?"

"Yours."

"…It's not Malfoy?"

 _Damn it_.

XXXXXX

Day 15

"Thank the heavens, this portrait is finished!"

"We shall meet in one week's time to complete the enchantments."

"It's almost like looking in a mirror," Draco stated in wonder.

"I am quite pleased, Master Malfoy, and hope your family will be as well."

"If they ever come see it!"

"It…it is not residing in Malfoy Manor?"

"Not this one, Candless. _This_ one is my gift to Hogwarts for seven years of education that has nothing to do with books."

"Forgive me, maybe I'm misunderstanding. You wish to leave a part of yourself _here_?"

"In _this_ room. It's been my goal to get into this room for a few years now, and now, in a way, I shall never leave it."

Candless tapped the canvas, and the newest Draco Malfoy started 'living' in his library.

Draco stared at him. Sometimes, before they were imbued with his personality, his little doppelgangers did crazy shit. One twirled until he hurled. One started pulling out his hair and had to be petrified. His three-year-old self didn't want to wear his clothing, which his mother found _adorable_.

This one just stood there.

How _boring_.

Candless excused himself and left, and Draco quickly got tired of waiting for nothing.

"Hermione?"

Draco couldn't believe he was doing this. Potter was to blame.

"I need to believe you're here, and you're not dead."

Nothing.

Not that he thought Potter was right. If he was, she'd be dead from lack of sustenance by now. And he would have tripped over her rotting corpse.

Cheerful thought.

"I don't believe she's dead."

Draco dropped his head in embarrassment. He'd almost been caught being _sentimental_ by _McGonagall_.

"No?"

"No. Do you know why?"

He shook his head in misery. He wasn't feeling a lot of hope today.

The elderly professor conjured two comfy chairs and posed them before the new painting.

"Take a seat, Mr. Malfoy."

He obeyed.

"I've witnessed a new spark in you this year, Mr. Malfoy. All of your professors have. For a few months, I thought you'd somehow conscripted Hermione into helping you with your schoolwork."

"I didn't force her to do anything, and I resent the implication."

"I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm trying to explain how I think I can help you."

"Granger said that sentence to me once, almost word-for-word. I didn't take her up on it, so what makes you think I'd accept it from you?"

"I understand why you're combative. You lost something no one, not even Harry, lost. It took me months of watching you to figure out what you wanted from her."

"I just wanted…she was a target."

"She wasn't."

Draco really didn't want to be called out on his bullshit right now.

"It was purely prurient interest, and you don't want to hear about it."

"Stop…Draco…I want you to listen to me. You seem to think it's shameful to love someone-"

"I'm not in love with her! We're not betrothed!"

"I know, you silly child," McGonagall snapped. "If you'd quit jumping to conclusions and have a normal conversation, I think you'll find my opinion quite interesting."

Draco shut up.

"I'm going to speak informally, Draco."

His name did not sound right coming from her mouth.

"Ahem. This is hard to admit, but I'd like to apologize. I have spent the last two weeks monitoring Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley for the signs of grief. It did not occur to me that you may need similar monitoring. It is not that no one cares that you lost someone-"

"She's not lost." Draco was ready to passionately rebut any other opinion.

"-even _temporarily_. Please don't interrupt until I finish. Draco, I've witnessed you saving children from bullying and saving others from themselves. You've nudged people away from bad decisions with what I must say is subtle, effective, and _inventive_ charms work."

She paused, and Draco couldn't look at her while she thought. He noticed the Draco in the painting pulling down books to look at and replace.

 _At least he's making progress_.

"I've wished for a long time that you'd been one of my Gryffindors, Draco."

He winced.

"I know, that would have made you miserable, and your parents would have been baffled and disappointed. But Draco, while you were chasing Hermione around the castle at all hours, being in turns sweet and antoagonistic, I saw you helping others without prompting, without expectations, and without shame."

"That's something I picked up from Granger. I needed to prove to her that I was empathetic. It was her first requirement."

"I know. She asked my advice. She was at first terrified that you meant her harm, or you meant to harm Harry, or Ron, or really anyone on the face of the Earth."

"What _exactly_ do you know?" he challenged.

Draco saw his plan crumbling. Surprise and forcing a vote before anyone could stop it were the cornerstones of the plan. If McGonagall knew, then surely others did, as well. If they had time to think, they had time to take precautions to keep him out, and no amount of _Hermione Granger_ could change that situation.

"Oh, Draco, you are looking for enemies where none exist."

"There are always enemies. Some of them are my best friends."

A/N:

For those in the U.S., (and U.S. citizens elsewhere!) have a great 4th of July weekend! For our non-Americans friends, you can pretend you are for a day and have a barbeque with your friends and watch Youtube videos of fireworks.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 8

"You're staring."

"You're pretty."

"I think the last person you said that to was yourself, while gazing lovingly into a mirror."

"Really? I'm that great looking?"

"You seem to think you are."

"Smashing."

Couldn't they have a _real_ conversation? This version of Malfoy was driving her nuts.

Hermione went back to her reading.

Then her scalp started tingling because her _hair_ was moving. Awareness raced down her spine.

"This is _fascinating_." He was playing with her hair now? She needed to teach him about boundaries and personal space.

"It's just hair."

"No. It's not."

Hermione snorted into her book and reached back to rescue her hair.

"My hair is a scary mess. You said so yourself."

He playfully smacked her hand away.

"I'm pretty sure…no, I'm absolutely sure I was full of shit. This…I kind of _love_ it."

Hermione caught herself smiling, then reeled herself in.

"Yes, well. How about you keep you hands to yourself?"

He was too quiet and she strained to hear any noise he might make.

He was still tangling his fingers in her hair.

"No," he softly replied.

XXXXXXX

Day 18

"You just can't catch a break, can you?"

"What now?"

"Potter is coming over here with a stupidly determined look on his face."

"Kill me now. I have to be _nice_. Ugh."

Potter sat down without a word.

Draco and Blaise looked at each other.

Eyebrow raise. _What's his deal?_

Shrug. _No idea._

Sideways nod. _Should we ask?_

Head shake. _No way. Let him deal with his own shit._

Potter sighed heavily.

Both Slytherins rolled their eyes.

"When you and Hermione get married, will you live at Malfoy Manor with your parents? I gotta tell ya, in the Muggle world it's _never_ cool to live with your parents."

"He's lost his mind," Blaise whispered.

"She's not gonna want to have kids for a while. I mean, happy accidents happen, but she'll want to plan everything out."

"Right," Draco slowly replied.

"And I don't want to give you advice, you know, but she really is always right. You should trust her 100 percent of the time. And let her make all the decisions."

"Potter, you do remember that _you're_ the one that made up that piece of shit lie."

"Everyone believed it. Did you know that? _Everyone_."

"The only one disputing it is _me_. But what would _I_ know?" Draco added bitterly.

"Ron and Ginny believe it. _Ron,_ of all people, fucking believes it. Neither of them is talking to me."

"Did you tell them you lied?"

"Yes. And I was accused of covering up your relationship. I guess Ron had suspicions that were already leading him down that path. Do you even understand what your crazy behavior has done? No one knows whether to look left or right. Hermione was tied up in knots."

"Hell yes she was!" Blaise laughed. "Draco obliviated half of their conversations! Then he was pissed when she couldn't remember something. It was very entertaining."

Draco gave Blaise the stare of death.

"You _obliviated_ her? Why? Did you do something to her?" Potter's voice was rising so Draco silenced him with a charm.

"Shut. Up. Do you remember what you said to me the day we all realized she was missing? You said she saw me do something weeks ago that she was surprised about and that I was choosing to be a jerk. Neither is true."

Draco took a moment to take a drink and enjoy Potter's annoyed expression.

"Don't leave me hanging!" Blaise nudged.

"You're as annoying as Potter sometimes."

"You take that back."

Draco just smiled at his friend and took a long pull from his glass.

"As I was saying, Granger shouldn't have been surprised by any 'redeeming' behavior she might have witnessed, especially since _she_ was the one I had to impress. She gave me the assignment. I'm not naturally nice, if you haven't noticed. She wanted me to prove that I cared about others."

Blaise snorted. "But you don't."

"I care about _some_ of them."

"But only a select few."

"Whose side are you on, Blaise?"

"Seriously? Granger's. You've been kind of an awesome friend this year, and it's because of her. You've been _damn_ entertaining, but you've also been _awake_ like I've never seen. You paid attention to what was around you instead of just _you_. You helped me with my grades, my girls, and my future. Last year you would have laughed at my problems and wished me sarcastic luck."

Potter banged the table and Draco took pity on him.

"What!" Draco snapped when he lifted the charm.

"She gave you an assignment?" Potter asked, dumbfounded.

"Did she tell you _nothing_? I mean, she said she wouldn't, but you're her best friend."

"If she said she wouldn't, then she won't. Hermione's reliable that way. Stop being surprised every time she does something that pleases you. Whatever she said she'd do for you, she did. That's just Hermione."

"All right. Potter, I just…it's been over two weeks…. If someone had kidnapped her there'd be a ransom demand by now. If she ran away, then she'd have come to her senses by now and at least contacted _you_. What else is there? As much as we don't believe it, your secret map and the charm I didn't put on her have to be wrong. She's not there, and I can't figure out how she's done it. Was her life in danger? Did she fake her own death?"

Potter was getting redder and redder as Draco talked.

"Seriously? You're insane. You know she'd never do this to her friends and family!" Potter denied.

"It's just driving me crazy!"

"You miss her," Blaise quietly interrupted the beginning of another tirade.

The boys stopped bickering.

Draco stared at Blaise.

"Yes, I do," Draco whispered.

XXXXXXXX

"And your mother's name?"

"Narcissa Black Malfoy."

"And she does what?"

"Socializes."

"Your potion master's name?"

"Please stop quizzing me."

"I need to be able to have a conversation with you that makes you seem like you have a brain."

"I have a brain."

"Yes. I've seen it."

'Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about how I'm going to smuggle Draco Malfoy into wizarding London without alerting a soul, forcibly shoehorn him into a not-so-covert not-really-rebel organization that hates him, win a war…and…and…."

"Hermione?"

"And I seriously can't stop staring at you when you call me that. To you, I'm Granger."

"You can't stop staring at me anyway."

"That's because you're the only other person here.'

"It's not because I'm very attractive?"

Hermione scoffed. "Uh…no."

"I'm not very attractive?"

"Stop fishing for compliments."

"I'm not. I'm trying to change the subject, but you're really, really stubborn!"

"I'm trying to help you!"

"You keep saying I'm not me. You're trying to teach me to be this other person, and I get the impression that you don't like him at all!"

"Sometimes he's tolerable."

"Then why are you so determined to make me into him?"

He walked away from Hermione and she stood up to follow, then she was surprised when he turned back to her with an anguished look on his face.

"Why can't I be _me_?"

A/N:

I didn't think I'd get another update in before the holiday!

Thank you to those of you that sent me encouraging notes. I really appreciate them: Chester99, Buffalochip, parkynson, einna16, Beth, Sampdoria, and Ms. Halfway.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 9

"Old Asshole and Original Me are back."

"Already?"

Hermione and this version of Malfoy had been making great strides since she stopped trying to teach him how to be himself.

She had revealed how she came to be in the portrait with him, and he had revealed that he could see the outside world.

He refused to talk to anyone in the room, and he pointed out that he could only see a portion of the room since he was on an easel, so he didn't know if Old Asshole was in there, laying in wait. He didn't want to give himself, or _her_ , away until he knew it was safe.

He also stopped speaking to her unless he was facing the books. He wanted her to read behind the bookcase, but she pointed out that she'd been moving the books since they appeared. If someone were going to be suspicious, it would have happened by now.

Hermione had been saddened, thrilled, and embarrassed by the play-by-play he gave her whenever someone was in the room.

**I'm saying you tackled me because you just couldn't keep your hands off my beautiful body. Harry is saying that you would never, and Blaise is high-fiving me.

**Harry's back. He says he believes you're still here because the map says so. He just doesn't understand. He's looking at me, looking at him. He's asking me if there's something he hadn't thought of yet. Oh. I think he's crying. Well, let's give him some fake privacy.

**Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Madam Pince, and I just came in…Professor McGonagall conjured a table…they're removing all the books and setting them on the table. They're testing them for enchantments and curses. Well, at least they're being thorough.

**I'm not sure who this one is…it's a centaur! How did he get up the stairs? How will he get down the stairs? How did he fit through the door? Well, this is awkward. He's trying to contact your spirit. He will be disappointed."

**There are two redheads, a boy and a girl. The boy's professing his undying love…and the girl just smacked the back of his head and told him not to be an idiot. And not to lie. And not to make any more promises to any more girls about fidelity or love…and something about Mandy Brocklehurst?

**I look tired. And sad. I'm saying…some really embarrassing things that I'm not going to tell you about.

Since time didn't mean a lot inside the portrait, Hermione had no idea how often people were coming into the room, but she was heartened by how often it felt.

Now Old Asshole was here with Malfoy. Maybe the process was coming to an end? Maybe they were going to be moved somewhere, probably Malfoy Manor. Then she'd be cut off from her friends forever.

"They're talking about enchantments. I am taking out my wand. I am pointing it at myself…the me in here, not the me out there…this is hard to say clearly."

"I get it. What's happening now?"

"I look bored. Old Asshole is pointing his wand at me…'out there' me…then at 'in here' me…."

"And?"

No response. Hermione grabbed his hand, tried to shake him out of whatever was happening.

Did Old Asshole figure out what was happening in here and decide to remove him?

"Malfoy? Please answer me. Please! Come on. Don't leave me here!"

Hermione was in a full-blown panic. She pinched him, she yelled at him, she begged. He didn't respond.

She sat down and cried.

XXXXXXXXX

"I am truly proud of this masterpiece, Master Malfoy. I only wish it to hang where your family may admire it."

"My father is a governor of the school, Candless, he is going to be able to see it any time he wishes."

"Is there no way to change your mind?"

"No! I commissioned it specifically for this room! You've been paid well, and you are dismissed with the utmost gratitude for your genius work. Please, Candless, I will soon be coming to you for my graduation portrait. Mother will want one in the gardens. Please, give my regards to your wife."

The old man stared a little too long at Draco, then moved out of the room at a leisurely pace, frequently turning back to watch him.

Draco lifted his eyebrows in question, and the old man hurried the rest of the way out.

"Well, Granger, at least you and I will be in here together, in a way. Maybe you've somehow slipped into another reality, maybe you're consciousness stayed but your body was somehow transported somewhere else…I have to believe you're still here. If you can hear me, watch the portrait, if you can. The enchantments will soon complete themselves and I'll be watching for you. Any sign, day or night, and my portrait will find me, or Snape, or someone else trustworthy."

Draco watched his portrait self stand in the middle of the canvas, not moving like he used to. The new enchantments were taking effect, and soon he would be able to do all the things portraits could do, including move from this frame to the frames of himself in the Manor, and move around at Hogwarts. It was a strategic play on Malfoy's part.

Malfoy prepared to let go of the room, or break free of the hold the room had on him, whichever way he thought of it that day.

XXXXXXXX

LAST FEBRUARY

"Why are you here on Valentine's Day? Nobody loves you, Granger?"

"I have work to do. This is where I think the most clearly. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Did _no one_ ask you to the ball? Really?"

"Malfoy, what do you want?" she asked testily.

"How much time do you spend studying a week? Do you ever do anything fun? Between this and babysitting Potter and Weasley, you probably don't sleep much, either."

"Stop analyzing my life. Tell me what you want or go away."

"Have I met all your requirements?"

Granger put down her quill, sat back, and looked squarely at Draco.

"You're inventive. When you try to help people you're successful, and no one has any idea you're the source of the help."

One compliment. Draco was involuntarily holding his breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Being covert, even while being the force behind positive changes, is a skill I am coming to think of as an asset. That girl on the Astronomy Tower? What charm did you use? If I didn't know you were there, I would have thought she decided not to jump on her own. I was talking to her, reassuring her that I would be there for her. Harry was trying to flatter and charm her into coming back inside. But _you_ , you were there, in the shadows, casting spells."

More compliments? Or an extension of the last one? Where was the negative comment? Where was the constructive criticism?

"Malfoy, you have a gift. It's kind of a scary gift, if used for evil. But you've turned into a… _power_ for lack of a better word. I can't do what I've seen you do…and I've tried," she laughed. "I've been practicing setting covert charms on people, and I just am not as sneaky about it as you! I'm a bit jealous, you know. My charms are more precise and powerful than yours, but your covert wandwork and nonverbal skill…."

"No, _my_ charms are more precise and powerful. That's how I can minimize the wandwork and don't have to speak…"

"No, it's not a matter of…"

"Just admit that I'm better at Charms than you are, Granger."

Silence.

She was trying not to smile.

She shut her eyes for a moment, and Draco felt a smile of his own creep onto his face.

When she opened her eyes and saw him smiling, she started to say something, then stopped herself when something caught her attention behind him.

"Your date is here."

"What date?" Draco asked as he turned around. He saw a pretty Ravenclaw peering in at them, but Draco didn't know her name. "That's not my date."

Granger smirked. "Right."

"She's not. I don't know her."

"Uh-huh."

"Granger, really!"

"Stop trying to convince me. Go enjoy the frivolity."

"Frivolity, Granger?" Draco teased. "Next are you going to accuse me off frittering away your time? Stop being cantankerous."

"I'm not…just go. I have a lot of work to do."

Draco watched her settle back into studying.

Twenty minutes later he was still watching her.

She was ignoring him admirably well.

He threw a Cheering Charm at her. She threw it off faster than he thought she would. She didn't even take a minute to enjoy the effect!

He cleared his throat. She conjured a glass of water without looking up, and vanished it after a minute when Draco didn't drink it.

He leaned forward to see what she was writing and she rolled it up and sealed it.

Humming didn't bother her.

Tapping his shoe against the desk inspired a vanishing of his shoe, which made it uncomfortable to keep kicking.

"May I have my shoe back, Granger?"

"Will you leave if I do?"

"Well, I can't leave without my shoe, so really you're holding me hostage in here with you. I know you love spending this quality time with me, but really, Granger, you could just ask me to stay."

Granger looked at her watch. "The library is closing. The ball is about to begin. Don't you have primping and preening to do?"

"No. What are _you_ doing tonight?"

Granger wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Are you going back to your tower to hide?"

Silence.

"Where are your friends?"

Silence.

"Did something happen? Are you having a tiff with Potter?"

Glare.

Granger stood up to move around the table and escape the room.

Draco stood to intercept her.

"Wait a minute. What's going on? What did I miss?"

"You're not my friend. Stop trying to convince me you are."

"Granger, give me a chance! You can see how I've changed!"

"You haven't changed. You've changed your focus. That's not the same thing."

"Just tell me. What's going on with you and your friends?"

She looked him in the eye and said just about the last thing he thought he'd ever hear.

"Harry…Harry and I kissed this morning."

A/N:

Quick with the updates! This is a lot of fun to write, but it's starting to take over my life again.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 10

Draco couldn't sleep.

In two months he would be done with Hogwarts.

He would have to make his move.

A full year of planning would come to fruition.

Or not.

"Blaise?"

"Fuck off."

"Oh, good. You're awake."

"It's three o'clock in the fucking morning. Go the fuck to sleep."

"I have a meeting with McGonagall."

"I don't give a shit. Let me sleep."

"I'm going to throw myself on her mercy. It'll be terribly humiliating, but Potter's just not there yet. I can't trust that he'll do what…well, what Granger could."

"I hate you. _A lot_."

"Why did it have to be Granger that disappeared? Really, what would the world be missing if it had been Potter instead?"

"Sleep, damn you!"

"Blaise, what if they say no? What if they take me prisoner? What if they kill me as an example and leave pieces of me strewn across my mother's rose garden?"

"You're confusing the Order of the Phoenix with the Death Eaters again."

"Oh, yeah. I'm just a little mixed up because of lack of sleep. If you'd shut your yap I could have been asleep already."

"Granger probably disintegrated herself to get away from you, stalker."

"No. She liked me. I may delusionally believe I'm the most awesome person ever, but I _can_ tell when other people genuinely like me or not. She did. She believed I was going to be her friend, and that I was going to fight on the side of the light."

"Draco, she didn't believe it, she _knew_ it. You seem to sometimes forget that you really were going to be her friend, and you really _are_ going to fight for the light, unless, of course, you're cruelly rejected."

"Whenever I thought of the future, there she was, Blaise! She was always a reminder that power isn't evil, that purity doesn't mean quality. She was this person that I've always wondered about, but it was never appropriate for me to get to know her."

"Stop using past tense."

"What do you mean?"

"You've started talking about her like she'd dead."

Draco was stunned. "Have I? It's…unintentional. I guess I've given up hope. I didn't think I ever would…but it's almost been a month. What other possible outcome is there? She's gone."

"She's not. You don't believe that."

"Convince me. _Please_. I would love a spark of hope."

"I _know_ you don't believe that. You've haven't been mourning, you've been _pining_. You want Granger to be safe, yes, but you want Granger _with_ you. You're too much of a stubborn idiot to admit it, but you've been in love with her for a long time."

XXXXXXXX

LAST FEBRUARY

"Harry…Harry and I kissed this morning."

For a split second Draco didn't know how to respond.

"Was he any good?"

"I didn't know he was your type, Malfoy," she shot back, obviously hurt.

"Isn't he with Weasley…the girl. Jenny?"

"You're such a prick. You've known Ginny Weasley for years. And no, Harry and Ginny are on a _break_."

"So you and Potter decided to give it a go?"

Granger looked constipated, which meant Draco _had_ to get the whole story.

"I kind of always thought you'd end up together," Draco lied. "Much better suited than Weasley…Potter at least has a brain."

"We're not…um…we haven't…we don't…." Granger huffed and turned to sit back down.

Draco followed her to the other side of the desk and sat on top. He realized he didn't like being head and shoulders above her, and decided to rearrange his world a bit.

He stood, pulled her up, turned around, picked Granger up, set her on the desk, and sat in the chair.

"Much better," he sighed.

When he looked back at Granger, she was staring at him like he'd grown a stray eyeball.

"I find it easier to have a heart-to-heart when I'm not towering over you, Granger."

"Heart-to-heart?"

"A deep, heartfelt conversation between trusting friends."

"With you?"

"With me."

"Why would I do that?" she asked in disbelief and with a great amount of skepticism.

" _You_ started it by confessing to the offending lip lock."

Granger wasn't meeting his eye. He didn't like that. It took the intimacy away from the conversation just when he was getting used to it.

He slid closer to her, then nudged himself between her feet and scooted in.

"Malfoy?" Granger asked in panic. "What the hell?"

"You're not looking at me."

"I didn't think I _had_ to…now I don't have a choice!"

"Quite right. Now tell me, how did you end up kissing Potter? And was it disgusting?"

She sat tight-lipped for a moment, and Draco tried to make it clear that he wasn't giving up the conversation.

"We were at breakfast. _Everyone_ was there. And all anyone talked about was the ball, and what presents they received, and how in love they are, and how it's just the _best day ever_ …and I may have snapped. I was glaring and being snarky at people that didn't deserve it. It's not that I begrudge anyone happiness! _I_ just am not in that type of relationship right now...or ever," she said under her breath.

Draco snorted. "That's because you're waiting for me."

Granger looked startled. "Is that what you think?"

" _Everyone_ does. Don't you listen to the rumors?"

"You _started_ those rumors! You _know_ they're crap!"

"No, they're not. You and I have been having rendezvous…rendezvouses…what's the plural for rendezvous? Is it rendezvous? That sounds right. Anyway, rendezvous all over the castle…mostly in the library. It's a public place, Granger. People notice those things."

"But…"

"Anyway, back on track! You were feeling bitter and alone, and Potter's face seemed like it needed to be smashed into yours? Had he eaten the last muffin and you were trying to get it back? Were you giving him a lecture on oral hygiene and decided to check if he'd brushed his teeth this morning?"

"Stop!" Granger smiled.

"Were you literally trying to put words into his mouth?"

Granger laughed out loud, and Draco's entire body felt lighter.

Draco leaned in to Granger as she was laughing and immediately felt himself _reacting_ to his position between her legs. In a bit of a panic that she would notice, Draco stood and forced her attention up to his face by placing his hand on her cheek and gently lifting.

"Tell me, Granger, how did it happen? It can't be _that_ embarrassing. I didn't hear about until now!"

Granger sobered and looked confused by his change of position.

"I think he was just trying to prove a point…" A frown of concentration marred her pretty face. "He was bickering with the boys and I was finishing up, disgusted with all the pageantry, fakery, and mushiness."

Her eyes unfocused and she looked a little confused.

"One of the boys started picking on Harry, just in that way that boys have. You know, teasingly but about a really serious situation? It was about wasting his life being alone, and some such rot about making Ginny be alone when next year they would be _forced_ to be apart. It was about the upcoming war…."

Granger stopped talking and shut her eyes for a moment.

"Everyone knows there is a chance that Harry may not have more Valentine's Days in his future. Don't waste them, you know? After some semi-serious ribbing, Harry started getting fed up with being the butt of this particularly tasteless pestering."

Her eyes popped open and Draco was startled at the fierceness in her eyes.

"Seems more like Slytherin behavior," he commented.

"Valentine's Day does bring out the worst in people."

"When did you become _funny_?"

Draco smiled _a real smile_ directly into her face from six inches away, and suddenly wanted to be _much_ closer.

"Want to know what's _really_ funny? When your best friend thinks he's _helping_ you, but really humiliates you in front of all your friends and classmates!"

"Really, that bad?

"That bad. I could see Ginny a little ways down the table, leaning our way so she could hear everything. Harry was doing another stupid boy thing: he was boasting that he was going to kiss the prettiest witch in all of Hogwarts this Valentine's Day. I smiled at Ginny and she smiled back. She started getting up from her seat and I was giving her encouragement. Clearly she thought she was getting a reunion just in time for the ball!"

"But that didn't happen."

"No, it did not. Harry turned to me and said some flowery junk about not believing a wizard hadn't snapped me up, and how they were all idiots. He was making a very public point. He leaned in to me and… I didn't _not_ kiss him back."

"You didn't… _not_ …kiss him back?"

"Exactly. It was nice. I guess. But not, you know, _overly_ passionate, or anything."

"Not true love's kiss?"

"Definitely not."

He stepped even closer, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"It wasn't… _hot_?" Draco leaned in just a _little_ more….

"Well, maybe it was a little bit hot," she stated weakly, uncertain of how to react to his actions.

He pulled back.

"A little bit hot?"

"Well, it's not like it was a _peck_. It was a full-on make-out session for a couple minutes."

"Minutes?" Draco squeaked.

"I must say I lost track of time."

"Because this 'kiss' was so mind-numbingly awesome?" Draco accused.

"What's the matter? Why do you look like you're going to throw up?"

"You _did_ like it!"

"I never said I didn't like it. I said it was embarrassing. And it was in bad judgment and ill-timed."

"So you and Potter are…what?"

"Still just friends. Which is more than I can say for the rest of Gryffindor. They think I've been trying to snare Harry while he's temporarily available."

"But _he_ kissed _you_!"

"No one seems to care about semantics, Malfoy. It'll blow over by tomorrow…then it'll be fodder for future jokes. 'Remember that time Harry and Hermione sucked face in the great hall? Good times.' I just have to wait until the animosity dissolves…until the fervor of the Valentine's Day true love crap dies down."

"Yeah. It wouldn't be worth, I don't know, maybe showing up to the ball with the most sought-after bachelor and maybe spending the night periodically kissing him in front of everyone?"

"I already told you, Harry and I are still friends. Only."

"That hurts, Granger. I'm trying…I want you to come with me. With or without kissing."

Granger pushed him back a little.

"Is this what this is all about? Have you been laying the groundwork for this all year, Malfoy? I was taking you seriously! I thought you were…"

"Wait! Granger, it's just a whim. I haven't been scheming to get in your pants…"

"Get in my pants? When did we even discuss _a_ date, let alone going publically to a school dance, or having _sex_?"

"You're blowing this out of proportion. I'm not suggesting we date!"

"So you just want to humiliate me by using me all night then letting people think you dumped me the next day?"

"Granger! I'm not trying _anything_!"

Draco ran a hand through his hair as he watched her slip down from the desk and move to retrieve her backpack.

He couldn't let her leave like this.

"Granger?"

"What!"

She turned to face him just in time to see the Draco's wand move.

" _Obliviate_."

Draco waited a moment.

"Malfoy?"

"Granger."

"What are you doing here?"

"The library is closing soon. I think I'm going to skip the ball this year. Are you going?"

"Um…no. I am decidedly not."

"Want to hang out with me for a while?"

Draco watched Granger's face carefully. Was she considering it? Was she confused? Was it too soon? Would she realize she was missing twenty minutes of time and put two and two together?

"Why?"

"I want to talk about next steps. You know, the future."

"Sure. But where?"

"Assuming you won't come to Slytherin…"

She shook her head.

"…and you're not inviting me to Gryffindor…."

She shook her head. He shrugged.

"I have an idea. Are you up for a field trip, Malfoy?"

"What's a field trip?"

She smiled at him, and he felt like all the damage to his soul had been repaired.

"Do you have clothes that you wouldn't mind getting ruined?"

"Of course not. What am I, a Hufflepuff?"

"Don't be a snot. Wear your oldest clothes and meet me in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I'm going to teach you the most important lesson of your life."

A/N:

Thank you to my reviewers, einna16, duj, maraudersanarchy, Sampdoria, parkynson, Chester99, kateodinson, Beth, and Buffalochip.

I am keeping notes on where I may need to revise to make things more clear. I won't be revising until it is complete, though. I knew with the wonky timeline and jumping in and out of the portrait with two Dracos it would be a challenge.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 11

Hermione stopped crying after about ten minutes. Malfoy was still here, at least physically. That was something.

She stood and walked to him, watching for any sign of intelligence.

Really, she'd been here before.

She knew she'd only had the new Malfoy with her for a few weeks at the most, but since they didn't sleep or spend any time apart it was really twice as long.

Hermione missed the stars in the sky.

And the taste of strawberry jam on thick homemade bread.

The sound of Harry and Ron laughing.

Being hugged by her parents after returning from Hogwarts each May.

 _Homesickness_.

Without thinking, she reached into her pocket for her wand and conjured a chair.

She froze.

 _Since when does my magic work in here?_

Hermione walked to the yellow flowered chair with a bright smile and poked it, just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

When it squished under her finger she whooped and jumped into it. She looked up to share her joy with Malfoy, and stopped.

"If I ever get out of here, Malfoy, the first thing I'm going to do is change my clothes."

She got up to get some books and start her vigil over again.

"Then I'm heading outside to go barefoot in the grass."

She opened the top book.

"I can honestly say I don't think I'll be in the mood to read."

XXXXXXXX

She was sitting and reading _right in front of him_.

Draco looked around in wonder. The shelves, the books, the window that looked out into bright blue nothingness. And Granger in an ugly yellow chair.

It couldn't be her. Every single professor had been in the study room checking everything from the canvas and easel to the dust you could barely see in the air. Draco had watched and helped when he could, and so many spells had been cast in that room that some days you could _smell_ them.

No unusual enchantments were placed upon the canvas. If there had been, Candless would have been questioned further, and maybe…. No. The first thing each professor checked was the canvas, because that was the odd thing in the room. Nothing suspicious.

How could it be possible?

But… _his charm_. Harry's map that Draco didn't know about. _Everything_ pointed to Granger being in this room.

He watched her turn a page, then blow the hair off her forehead and lean on her palm to continue reading. Her left leg was tucked under her and her right was lightly kicking the chair with her heel.

He smiled.

He hadn't seen her for almost a month.

 _Still pretty. If anything, his memory had downplayed how pretty she really was._

He tried to make himself speak, but his throat didn't feel right.

She yawned, and he wondered if she were tired or bored.

He didn't want to blink. He wanted to watch her do the tiniest things, like scratch her nose, or…was she cracking her knuckles? The sound made him wince.

Draco ran a hand through his hair and gave in to temptation.

He leaned down, shoved his hands in her hair, and kissed her.

XXXXXXX

To say it surprised her was an understatement.

Instead of her eyes closing, they shot open in alarm.

Hermione's fists flew into his chest but he didn't budge.

Her heart was beating so hard she felt it in her temples.

The book she had been reading slid off her lap and fell onto his foot with a loud thunk.

He just kept on kissing her.

"Mmmffoy! Ssss! Malfmmmm! Stop!" she yelled when she finally got her mouth away from his.

Malfoy pulled her from the chair, picked her up and spun her around.

"You're here! You're not dead! You haven't been kidnapped or killed!"

Malfoy was smashing her so tight against his chest that she was having trouble breathing.

His blatantly non-Slytherin joy was trying to infect her.

Now that she wasn't scared or shocked, she started to hug him back. Then a smile took over and she started to giggle.

"You've been here the entire time! Granger!" He stopped spinning and just hugged her tightly, occasionally kissing the top of her curly head. "How did this happen? How can you be here?"

Hermione knew he wasn't expecting answers, and he really wasn't leaving her room to answer anyway.

He plopped down in her yellow chair and essentially arranged her in his lap so he could keep hugging her. In another circumstance it would have been either awkward or sexy, Hermione couldn't decide. For now it was comforting.

His arms banded around her middle while her legs fell to either side of his and he buried his head in her neck.

"Assuming you're not a figment of my imagination," Malfoy murmured into her neck, "are you hurt in any way?"

He waited long enough for Hermione to respond, so she did.

"No. Mostly just terrified."

"Okay, okay," he replied. "I'll get you out. Somehow. How come I couldn't see you from outside?"

"Did you see the books moving?"

He was quiet for a long time.

"That was _you_. Potter and I saw that and I commended Candless for being so thorough and ingeniously including the ghosts."

He bowed his head and kissed Hermione's shoulder.

"Did you try to give us a sign? Did I just miss it?"

"No. I was afraid Old Asshole would see it and take steps to get rid of me."

Malfoy started to shake and Hermione tried to push away so she could clearly see his face.

"Malfoy! All it would have taken was for him to switch out the canvases and no one would have been the wiser!"

"I'm sorry. I swear I'm not laughing at you or your situation _. Old Asshole_? I assume that's Candless…that's _hilarious_. So appropriate, too! He was so blatantly unhappy when he heard about our betrothal that his prejudice was showing."

"We're betrothed? Why was I not informed?" Hermione didn't know what to think, but decided to roll with it. What other choice did she really have?

"Potter did it," Draco said matter-of-factly from her neck again.

When he didn't elaborate, Hermione started asking questions.

"Fine. Whatever. So, can you remember _everything_? Any blank spots or lack of knowledge?"

"How would I know what I didn't know?"

"Good point."

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

"I missed you."

She didn't really know how to respond to that.

"I _kissed_ you," he said with great humor.

"Well, I was with you…sort of, so I didn't get much of a chance to miss you."

"Hmmm," he hummed into her shoulder.

"And…and…you _kissed_ me!"

He started to shake in silent laughter under her, and she started to giggle.

"And me unable to _Obliviate_ you," he muttered, but she heard it.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"I…I don't."

He kissed her shoulder again.

"If it's okay," he continued, "I'm just going to sit like this for a while. Okay?"

"It's fine. I'll get up-"

"No! I mean, sit here with you."

"Oh. Well, until my legs start to fall asleep I'll be fine with it."

"Deal."

She sank into him and his arms adjusted again, one pulling around her neck so that she was under his chin. He kissed the top of her head and sighed.

"Granger."

"What?"

"Nothing…just… _you_.

A/N:

Yay!

That's all I have to say.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 12

Draco purposefully stayed away from the study room for two days. He'd spent nearly every spare moment for the last month in that room. He and Potter were dangerously close to becoming _friends_ they spent so much time together there.

He finally broke down after classes on Friday and decided that he was going to visit himself. He was _not_ going there to keep holding vigil for Granger. It wasn't his fault that every time he set foot in there it brought back fantastically vivid memories of her. He smirked as he thought about the number of…experiences was the word that kept popping into his head…experiences he'd shared with Granger in that room.

He went into the room assuming he'd be alone.

"Sit." The curt order was immediate and left no room to argue. Snape tracked Draco with his eyes as he crossed the room.

Draco sighed and sat at the study table that had been replaced. It seemed lonely without its Granger.

"How is it possible that you are still obsessed with this room?"

Was he supposed to answer that?

"Have you forgotten your duties?"

Or _that_?

"I am not suggesting you give up. I am suggesting you stop wearing your heart on your sleeve. Regain your stoicism. Running around the castle like a lovesick puppy has done nothing for our cause. And _Miss Granger_. Have you forgotten that she's an unbearable snot?"

Draco knew it wasn't worth trying to stick up for Granger. He actually agreed with the professor. He just didn't care. He liked those things about her now, especially since those traits were an advantage to him.

Snape stood and paced impatiently. It was a show of agitation that had Draco feeling uneasy. It took a lot to make his mentor show _any_ emotion, let alone one he would normally suppress.

"Do you understand why I've come here looking for you? Are you paying any attention to what is happening in this school? Have you read any of your parents' letters? Have you finalized plans with Professor McGonagall?"

Draco found himself holding his breath. Did Snape know _everything_?

"Yes, I know everything. Wake up. Look around you, boy, and become a _man_."

Snape left the room in a swirl of cloak and potion vapors.

 _Drama queen_.

Draco shook his head. He knew he'd been too focused inward. He was meant to be the leader of Slytherin, but had let himself be distracted for too long.

He looked at himself in the portrait. His other self was sitting on air with his arms akimbo.

 _How peculiar_.

He stood and walked to the frame, but his other self wasn't looking outward. There were books strewn around the floor. Was he a slob? Interesting.

"Hello," he called. "Everything okay in there?

Portrait Draco looked up and bestowed upon him the biggest smile Draco had ever seen on his own face.

" _Granger_ is in here with me. Go get Flitwick and McGonagall. She's fine but scared."

Portrait Draco started laughing and making odd motions with his hands, then laid his head awkwardly to the side.

"She says to hurry up because she's way behind on revising for her NEWTS."

Draco's arms and legs felt like electrified jelly. He wanted to ask a million questions, but couldn't get any out.

She's _here_.

He smiled.

Draco made it to Flitwick's office so fast he'd have thought he Apparated if he didn't know better.

XXXXXXX

LAST SEPTEMBER

"Occupied."

"I'm aware."

Hermione looked up to see _Draco Malfoy_ standing in the doorway to her favorite study room looking suspiciously like a muggle model. They'd primarily ignored each other for a few years, only sniping at each other when interaction couldn't be avoided.

She guessed _he_ was no longer avoiding _her_.

She watched him enter, set down his satchel, and pull a few books out of it.

"What are you doing?"

He lifted his eyebrow as if to say "really?"

"Here?"

"Seems to work well enough for you."

 _What is he up to?_

"What are you up to?"

"Granger, do you know the Theory of Hannigan's Curse?"

"Magical philosophy? Since when do _you_ have an interest?"

"Indulge me."

Hermione stared at the blond, thinking that he would give up if she just didn't respond. After a while, she realized he was being patient and quiet because he really wanted to hear her answer.

"Fine," she gave in. "The Theory of Hannigan's Curse is the impossibility of finding common ground in opposing spells, even if their base truths are the same."

"And why is it called a curse?"

"Because regardless of origin, there is no realigning the purpose of the spells. The one that heats will never be the same as the one that freezes, even though they both change the temperature of an object."

"And why is it called a theory?"

"It's assumed to be true. Why, are you challenging it?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Do you think it applies to people?"

"Of course not."

He smiled smugly at her quick answer.

"Why?"

"Apples and oranges. Spells are tools. They don't make decisions. They don't have free will."

"So two people whose beliefs are diametrically opposed are not governed by the theory?"

"No," Hermione replied. "A person's beliefs can change. Malfoy, these are basic concepts. Really, what do you want?"

She watched Malfoy hold up his hands with just his index fingers extended.

"We both started here." He held the tips of his fingers together. "We have both been born into families with parents that taught us specific beliefs. That led us to be _here_." He moved his fingers about a foot apart. "If we don't question, we either stay here, or we move even further apart."

"Malfoy, you have just successfully explained the root of most of the racism on Earth."

"Most?"

"Sometimes it is learned later in life, through association or negative experiences."

"And the opposite can happen. People can unlearn prejudice."

"Are you talking about yourself, Malfoy? Have a change of heart?"

His right hand slowly moved past the center point to about three inches from his other finger.

"And you expect me to believe that? After all the crap you've pulled in the last _six_ _years_? I call bullshit, Malfoy."

Malfoy gave her another amused smile and she had to look away.

His _smile_ was making her _want_ to believe him. She refused to be that kind of person.

"No, I wouldn't expect that. I would have been disappointed if you had. I want to prove it to you."

"Yeah," Hermione smiled sarcastically. "I'm not falling for whatever this is."

"I have a goal. All _you_ have to know is that I am going to join the Order of the Phoenix, and _you_ are going to make it happen."

Hermione sat back and stared for a moment, then fished in her bag for a hair elastic. She watched Malfoy watching her as she wrangled her hair into a ponytail.

The first attempt was slightly askew, so she pulled the elastic out to try again.

"Just leave it alone. You can't make that hair any better."

She ignored him. She slowly gathered it all again, taking extra care to make sure it included all the hair from the sides and underneath, with no uneven sections, then tightly bound it with the band.

Hermione was buying time. _Malfoy_ wanted to join the Order. She didn't know how to respond, or even if she _should_ respond. If it was true and she pushed him away….

When she looked up he was staring at her with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Spit it out, Malfoy. I've already run out of patience with you."

Malfoy laughed, and Hermione could tell it took him by surprise.

Had she ever heard him laugh before? She couldn't remember. It annoyed her that she found it cute. Found _him_ cute. Laughing Malfoy made her forget that he was the one that taught her about the wizarding world's version of racism.

"You just proved my mother wrong. It makes me very, very happy."

"I'd ask, but I don't care."

Draco leaned forward and tried to catch her eye, but Hermione was suddenly afraid she'd blush and avoided his gaze.

"What _exactly_ would I have to do to convince you that I'm sincere?"

"I don't know…if you're serious…let's start with being _nice_."

"That's it? Where's the challenge, Granger? Shouldn't you be torturing me with elaborate good deeds?"

It was in her nature to be trusting, but not to be stupid. Warning bells were ringing in her head.

"I'll think on it and get back to you."

She regretted those words as soon as she said them.

 _Ugh. He's smiling at me again. Why does he have to be so adorable-looking, when I know his soul is shriveled and black?_

"Excellent. Now Granger, how's the campaign to force Weasley to love you going?"

 _And he's ugly again_ , she thought.

She sighed and started packing up her books.

"Are you running away from me? Not very Gryffindor of you."

"I'm here to study. If you're not going to let me study, then I'm going to go spend time with people I actually like."

"You don't like me? Why ever not? I'm a thoroughly likable guy."

"I had no idea," she responded sarcastically.

"Yes, I'm told I'm quite awesome."

"By who? Yourself?"

"Every day! And my mother's quite fond of me, she claims."

 _Is he really trying to charm me?_

She wanted to leave…but she wanted to stay even more. She'd only been back to school for a few weeks, but something Malfoy said reminded her that this year was already dramatically different.

She and Ron were never going to be together. And having spent last summer mostly with his family, she found herself avoiding him in general. They were still friends, and she didn't dislike him, but she just didn't _like_ him like she used to.

She'd spent most of the summer hanging out with the twins. Between the Burrow and Grimmauld Place, Hermione was desperate for new company, and suddenly Fred and George were the most interesting people on the planet…that she was free to spend time with.

While not having romantic feelings towards either of them, she had practiced flirting with them, and they gave her honest, sometimes painful critiques. They did not treat her as a sister, or as an acquaintance, but as a _pretty girl_ , and as a friend interested in more than books.

She loved her boy friends, but she wanted something _more_. She had never had _that_ kind of connection with anyone, that _boyfriend and girlfriend_ connection, and she _needed_ it. She had never known you could miss something you'd never had.

Looking at Malfoy, she started to think surprising thoughts. If he was serious…if he was joining their side…could she… _no_. Not Malfoy.

But the idea was so tantalizing!

She sat down and decided to _play_.

"Has Pansy given you any diseases lately?"

"Granger! No need to be jealous of Pansy, she's been out of the picture for _hours_ now," he smirked. "So, still pining for the ginger?"

"Are you asking for a specific reason? Will my answer _mean_ anything to you?"

"I can't have you distracted. I'm going to impress you, and I don't want your attention diverted. You might miss something fantastic about _me_."

"Are you really this self-centered?"

"Yes."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're not going to ingratiate yourself to me with that attitude, Malfoy."

"Well, can I eventually be your friend and remain this self-centered?"

"You want to be _friends_?" she asked in disbelief.

She couldn't believe those words had left his mouth!

And she had to stop herself from physically recoiling from the word "friend." Heaven save her from boys that just wanted to be _friends_ with her.

Malfoy was looking at her like he could read her mind, and she felt a jolt panic. Could he?

"Not especially. To be truthful, I usually can't stand you. Sometimes you're amusing, and you're pleasant enough to look at, but in general you're too overbearing and serious for me."

"Don't hold back, Malfoy. Let it out," she blurted out, feeling more hurt than she felt she should have been.

He was staring at her again.

Damn it, she now wished she'd left the room ten minutes ago.

"I'm sorry."

What? Now he was apologizing? Why?

"For what? Being yourself?"

"No. I actually didn't intend to hurt your feelings. I guess it's hard to reverse…no, to learn to act how you really want to act."

She watched him fidget with his books, then pull his hands into his lap and fold them sedately.

"Normally in these situations I blackmail my opponent."

"Opponent?"

"Adversary."

"Enemy?"

"No," he smiled again, "I never meet my enemies face-to-face. Trust me, they never see me coming."

She struggled to keep a straight face.

"So your instinct in my case is to insult me?"

"Insult you? I told you that you were pretty!"

 _He did?_

"You did?"

"Yes! Right before I said you were an overbearing harpy!"

"You never called me that!"

"Well, I was thinking it, then. That's beside the point. I just don't know how to talk to you, and that's never happened to me before!"

"Because for once you don't have the upper hand."

He waggled his eyebrows, "And I kind of like it."

Hermione decided to call it a night and stood once again to leave. To be truthful, she needed to get away from Malfoy and process this bizarre turn of events.

"Where are you going? Can I come?"

"Really, Malfoy? I'm going to sleep."

His smile turned shark-like. "Can I come?"

"I thought I was a harpy."

"A _pretty_ harpy."

As she left the room, she turned back and gave him a serious look.

"Malfoy, if you're serious about the Order then you're not going to be able to _charm_ me into helping you. Every time you make a pass at me, even jokingly, it makes me less inclined to consider you an ally."

"Okay."

"Okay what?"

"Okay, I promise to treat you like a harpy, not a _pretty_ harpy."

"How about you not treat me like a harpy? Or call me a harpy. Or think of me as a harpy."

"Shrew?"

"No."

"Virago?"

"Seriously?"

"No. It's just fun to say."

"Good night, Malfoy."

"Good night, pretty harpy."

 _Ugh_.

A/N:

It's late, I know! Sorry! But it's twice as long!


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 13

"What is taking so fucking long?"

Draco was outside the study room, waiting (not-so) patiently for the professors to finish their diagnosis of the problem. He looked down the stairs again, and was shocked anew at the hundred or so students sitting quietly, either studying or just reading.

Draco, Blaise, Potter, and Weasley were sitting with their backs to the stacks, waiting for their turn to visit the portrait.

"They love Hermione," Potter commented, noticing Draco's distraction. "They miss her. They've been scared ever since she disappeared. She is a mentor and a role model for all the younger students. Malfoy, they've been holding support services, candlelight vigils, and study marathons in her honor. How did you not know this?"

"Draco only sees the hot ones that have been following him around. They think his romance with Granger is _epic_ , like Romeo and Juliet or something," Blaise explained.

"I hate it when people reference that damn play. They always conveniently forget that everyone _dies_!" Draco was breathing hard and Madam Pince was giving him the stink eye.

Maybe he was wound a little tight. Who could blame him?

"Everyone dies? Like a massacre?" asked Weasley.

Draco ignored the question, Blaise rolled his eyes, and Harry patted the boy's back in intellectual sympathy.

"Is there a single professor that hasn't been in there for at least an hour? It seemed simple to me. She was put in there like an object, why can't we just take her back out?" Potter asked.

"She was painted over," Blaise explained. "There are a crapload of enchantments holding the background in place, and a shit-ton on top of that to make little Draco an entity that can move and store information. Then add the…bunch of enchantments required to imbue the little guy with all that Draco-ness, and she is literally _buried_ in magic."

"Well, let's start undoing the enchantments, then!" Weasley yelled.

"Wow, you're a pureblood, right?" Blaise asked in astonishment. "Do you know _nothing_ about magical portraits?"

"Cut him some slack, Blaise," Draco interjected, much to everyone's surprise. "He's a _Weasley_. They're hardly better than half-bloods."

"Better a Weasley than a Malfoy!" Potter responded because Weasley was sputtering in rage. "A Weasley can hold their head up high knowing they're helping the world stay safe. What are the Malfoys doing? Spreading your pureblood bullshit."

"No, they're not," Blaise defended. "You're as bad as Draco, Potter! You _all_ need to pull your heads out of you asses!"

Draco rubbed his temples. His head was splitting, and the crappy old arguments that used to bring him happiness were just making him sad. He used to get enjoyment from riling up Weasley, but now he was just low-hanging fruit.

His heart was no longer in it.

"Anyway," Blaise continued, "you can't remove enchantments from a canvas. You can paint over them, but the enchantments will still exist underneath. The only way to completely destroy an image is to burn it, and that wouldn't bode well for Granger."

Something was bugging Draco…something just sitting in the back of his mind….

"Blaise, have you ever been in the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Why would I go there? I've heard it's super creepy."

"We've been," Weasley offered, pointing to himself and Potter.

"Everyone knows that," Draco responded impatiently. "Anyway, Granger took me down there to give me this lesson on the strength of hate. At first I was just going along with it to humor her, but then she started saying all of these things about muggle history, and it was _terrifying_. I was never taught anything about world wars, other than that they _happened_. Granger was explaining the psychology of fanaticism and the dangers of charismatic leaders that preach hate and intolerance."

Draco lost himself in the memory of Granger standing in the middle of the immense cavern looking impossibly tiny and lost. She wasn't lecturing him, she was making an impassioned plea to the world to stop letting madmen rise to power.

"She was in that monument to hate, speaking about people being _exterminated_ , and I kept flashing back to last summer. I'd be hiding in the kitchens sneaking dinner for myself and mother, and I'd hear snippets of plans for peeling the skin from a Mudblood for fun, or cursing the Mudblood women with infertility to make sure to kill the new bloodlines."

"Didn't she know your plan?" Blaise asked softly, matching Draco's somberness.

"What plan?" asked Weasley.

"Malfoy's joining the Order," Potter answered.

"The hell his is!"

"Ron, stop. You don't know the whole story, and you're making this worse. Stop trying to pick fights!"

"Are you on _his_ side now?" he accused Potter.

"No." Potter smiled at Draco. "He's now on _ours_."

"Is this really happening?" Ron asked.

"Yes," the other three answered.

"I'll be back," Ron said as he stood up. "I'm…I don't know what to think. I'm just going to take a walk."

"I'll go with you," Potter added. "Maybe we'll get something from the kitchens for everyone, yeah?"

"Good idea. At least then we'd be _doing_ something. All this sitting around feels like a memorial."

Draco couldn't fault the Gryffindors' need to act. He was already antsy, and the longer he was made to wait with no news the more he wanted to escape, too.

He watched the boys walking away, then turned to Blaise.

Blaise was watching Draco with a little grin.

"You'll be stuck with those two for the foreseeable future. Have fun with that."

"It never occurred to me that I wouldn't have a buffer. Granger was going to stand between me and anyone I found annoying. I'm not sure I can be with them day in and day out and not accidentally kill one of them. Probably Weasley."

"No question, Weasley," Blaise agreed. "Let me ask you a question. I know you want to join the Order with or without Granger, but over the last few months you have to admit that Granger being there was the best perk."

"Yeah. It's still the best perk."

"Assuming we can get her out…or that's she's really in there to start with."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It did occur to me that you wanted to find her so badly that maybe your doppelganger also wants it badly and is…malfunctioning. What if she isn't really there?"

"No way. That's _me_ in there, and I wouldn't tell myself that she was there if she wasn't. It would be beyond cruel, and I would never do that to me. I _love_ me."

"I'm not saying your portrait is lying, I'm saying maybe it's hallucinating or something. Did you ask any questions? No. You called in the cavalry."

"Since when are you a pessimist?"

"I just don't want to have to watch you lose it again."

"Again?"

"Do you not remember the Saturday after she went missing?"

Draco shook his head and stared at Blaise in a panic.

"You _were_ incredibly drunk. I shouldn't be surprised, but I didn't know you didn't remember it. I thought you were just embarrassed and didn't want to discuss it."

"Do I want to know what happened?"

Blaise smiled. "No."

XXXXXXX

THREE WEEKS AGO

"She _loves_ this shirt."

"That shirt is just like every other shirt in your trunk, Draco. It's your _uniform_."

Draco turned slow circles in front of the mirror in the boys' room. Blaise was lounging on his bed, monitoring Draco for odd behavior. He was worried, Draco knew. Draco guessed that if roles were reversed he would also be worried.

"No! This one's special! She looked at me differently in _this_ shirt."

"Where did you get that firewhiskey? I thought you gave up the stuff."

"Fourth years. Confiscated it. Granger's eyes widened just slightly when I pulled her into the alcove behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy. She thought we were leaving the castle, but I was just using the excuse to pull her close to me. She was so cute, she just stared at this shirt for a few minutes. I pretended I was going to kiss her, but _I didn't_."

"That's right. Keeping her guessing."

"Yeah. Maybe I'll take your advice and romance her, too. When I find her she'll be so happy to see me! If she's being held prisoner somewhere I'll save her!"

"I hate to break it to you, but you've been romancing her for _months_."

"Have not."

"Have so. What do you think you were doing? You show up wherever she is, you joke with her, you touch her whenever possible. You protect her feelings. You keep other guys away, even her friends if you can. You smile at her _all_ the time. You try to do things with her. You haven't given her presents or taken her on dates, true, but you have been romancing her just the same."

"Have. Not." Draco insisted in earnest.

Blaise rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Draco, sit down before you fall down."

"That would wrinkle _the shirt_."

"Twirling like that with a bottle of firewhiskey? You'll slosh on _the shirt_ and stain it."

"Oh. Yeah. Important." Draco sat, then took a long swig.

"Think getting drunk is helping?"

"Yep."

"Thinking of stopping anytime soon?"

"Nope."

"All right then."

"She wants me, you know."

"You think everyone wants you."

"They do!"

"Yes, Draco. Sure they do. Everyone wants an arrogant asshole for a boyfriend."

"Granger likes that I'm not nice."

"You're nice to _her_."

"She _smells_ nice. Her legs are fantastic. Her hair is crazy but beautiful. She smiles at me, Blaise, and it's not to be flirty, it's because I make her _happy_."

"Yes, I'm sure she does."

"She'll marry me someday. My fucking mother is always right."

"That's quite the jump."

"Haven't you heard? I'm _engaged_."

"Potter's fault."

"Potter's fault," Draco agreed with gusto. He treated it as a toast and upended the bottle once more.

"So why are you now willing to get married?"

"I. Am. A. Malfoy." Draco thumped his chest with each word. "I'm supposed to marry straight away and…and…something about an empire…and blond babies. Too young, I said. Tried to change her mind, but mother knows _everything_. She said that I was destined for…something. And I needed a strong witch to get me there."

He stopped to chug some firewhiskey, then rolled himself off the bed to crawl to Blaise.

He offered the bottle, but Blaise waved it away. He set the bottle on the floor next to Blaise and laid back.

"So you'd be happy marrying Granger?"

Draco wiggled, then realized he'd never be comfortable on the floor. He slid on his butt back over to his bed and hoisted himself back up. He looked wistfully at the bottle, which for some reason he had left _way over there_ by Blaise's bed.

"Yeah," he sighed as he gave up drinking for the night. "Did you know she's _amazing_?"

"Someone might have said something along those lines."

Draco sat up a bit. "Who? I bet it was Goyle. Always had a thing for girls that were out of his league."

"So do you."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"She probably wants to marry someone stuffy…like Snape!"

"Jeez, Draco, you're beyond drunk."

"Really! She's way smart and pretty and she'll marry…well, the most worthy man."

"And you're…not worthy?"

"I will be. Maybe she'll wait for me. It could take a while. She'll probably get bored and decide to run the country or something."

"Let's not talk about Granger anymore tonight. Think about something else. _Anything_ else."

"Did you know that her favorite color is green? But it's a secret because she's a _Gryffindor_. I told her it wasn't very brave of her, and she laughed me off."

"So we're still on Granger," Blaise said in defeat.

"And she refused to go with me to the Valentine's Day Ball."

"You asked her?"

"Yes. No. Sort of."

"So…no, I have no idea what that means."

"Once, when we were in the library and she was studying she said this thing and it was funny, but she didn't know it."

"What did she say?"

"Hmm…" Draco thought for a moment. "No idea. Really funny, though."

"You are _super_ drunk."

"Yeah. She better not be lost forever, 'cause I love her."

Blaise sat straight up and stared at Draco. Draco closed his eyes for the last time that evening.

"Pretend you didn't hear that, mate."

A/N:

I've been neglecting my reviewers! You make the world go 'round: Ms. Halfway, Chester99, Buffalochip, parkynson, Beth, HowtheMightyFall, maraudersanarchy, Girlalicious, bennettfan84, Joytapper, and Goddess Lyra.

I write faster when I get reviews!


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 14

The door flung open and the professors all came out in a clump, following Flitwick's glowing wand.

"Dark magic!"

"Illegal spells!"

"None of the students could possibly have done it."

"No one would dare!"

Draco felt a cold panic start in his stomach and race to his heart. He could _see_ what they were tracking, and it wasn't good.

"Shit," Draco muttered as he hastily stood.

"Look at them all, practically foaming at the mouth!" Blaise announced in glee.

"It's probably the portrait painter…what was his name? This will lead us to him," McGonagall said.

"This spell is very strong. Unless the painter is still in Hogwarts, then it has to be someone else," Flitwick denied.

The closer they stepped to Draco, the brighter the charm appeared to the group. Only a diagnostic spell from the Charms professor could make his charm glow that way.

Draco was screwed. They were going to make him the scapegoat after all.

Which of his many charms were they tracking? He'd littered Granger and Granger's belongings with charms every chance he got. It was great fun, especially the…risky ones.

The professors were right. He shouldn't have known many of those charms. And a couple were illegal, if you cared about those things.

Spending the summer with a gaggle of dark wizards and witches had done wonders for his charms creativity, but he had decided to use his powers for good!

"Mr. Malfoy," Snape said from the doorway, "please come in. Professors, please follow."

Snape looked _mad_. The only indication was a slight flaring of the nostrils, but Draco was fine-tuned to Snape's moods.

Draco stood straight and walked as arrogantly as he could past the professors. They watched the magic stream from Flitwick's wand follow Draco back into the room. As they stared at him in suspicion and awe, Draco raised an imperious eyebrow but kept his mouth shut.

He was going to see how the chips fell before deciding on a defense.

Draco went straight to the painting to ask after Hermione's welfare and was surprised to find Professor Dumbledore in the frame as well.

"Headmaster," Draco greeted.

Dumbledore smiled brightly and greeted him with a knowing look in his eyes. "Draco, my boy. I am deeply impressed with your orchestration of this solution. While also inadvertently responsible for the problem, as well," he added before Draco could soak in what he was being told.

"Solution?" Draco turned from the portrait to Snape in anticipation.

"Yes." Snape turned to the other professors and Blaise, who had snuck in with them, and made them sit down with the power of his stare.

"Mr. Malfoy, please explain the purpose of the charms you attached to Miss Granger."

" _All_ of them?" Draco squeaked?

Snape's penetrating stare made Draco squirm.

"Okay." Draco took a deep breath and listed the staggering number of charms he had placed on Granger.

Professor Flitwick frequently huffed and made dramatic inhalations. He muttered a few times under his breath and gestured wildly at Draco to the other professors, expecting them to join him in his outrage.

Professor McGonagall looked befuddled, but Draco understood that while well versed in Charms, she was not an expert and probably did not recognize the more arcane charms he had used.

Professor Sprout nodded in sympathy to Flitwick, then at Draco to show she was paying rapt attention, then at Snape in deference to his taking control of the situation, then at Dumbledore in thanks that he made his way to this portrait to aid in the rescuing of Miss Granger, then in unification with McGonagall because she was not at all familiar with these complicated charms.

Dumbledore was whispering to someone on his left that Draco couldn't see. He caught Blaise's eye and nodded toward the frame. Draco knew when Blaise realized what he was seeing when a goofy grin took over his face. He stood behind the professors and did a tiny happy dance that only Draco and Snape could see.

Snape was not amused.

Draco barely held on to his straight face as Flitwick started grilling him on his choice of charms.

"Please tell me why you placed an atmospheric charm on Miss Granger?"

"So it would never rain on her." When that was met with silence, he added, "It _could_ snow. She likes snow."

"Then why the impervious charm?"

"Water doesn't only arrive in the form of rain."

"The unusually strong protection spell is self-explanatory, I suppose. As is the repeating Cheering Charm. Hmmm. I didn't know you and Miss Granger had that sort of relationship."

"Didn't you know? They're _betrothed_ ," Blaise loudly whispered.

Dumbledore snorted from the frame. "Miss Granger would like it known that she did not agree to that."

Flitwick looked startled at the interruption _and_ the news.

"Well, that gives the intention of these charms a new spin. Let us continue. You have a renewable cleaning charm on Miss Granger? Why ever would you do that?"

Draco blushed. "She tends to get smudges of ink on her hands, which she transfers to her face. She…she did not learn to write with a quill and ink until she came to Hogwarts. Muggle writing instruments are apparently more…contained. _That_ is what she learned to write with, and that is why she does not automatically cast a cleaning charm like children born into wizarding families are taught to do. In us it is ingrained, for Granger it is an afterthought that she occasionally forgets."

"Anti-theft charm?"

"Seriously? _So no one could steal her things_."

"I am quite disturbed that you have an entrancing enchantment on Miss Granger. Those are not taught at Hogwarts with good reason, Mr. Malfoy."

"Well, I needed her undivided attention."

"That is an insufficient excuse."

"Fine, I needed her undivided attention so I could convince her to use her influence to force the Order of the Phoenix to accept me so I could fight the Dark Lord until one or the other of us dies."

Draco stopped, undid his fly, and let his trousers drop.

The professors were all distressed until they saw the deep, painful-looking scar that ran from Draco's upper thigh to his knee. Then they were distressed for another reason.

"Minerva, stop blushing," Sprout whispered to McGonagall as though the whole room couldn't hear her. "It's not like he isn't wearing nether garments!"

Point made, Draco replaced and refastened his trousers. "Death eaters think it's _fun_ to torture each other with magical slicing spells. I, however, do not wish to subject my otherwise god-like body to their sadistic whims. Shall we move on?"

Flitwick cleared his throat and referred to his notes.

"Yes...hmmm. Feather-light charm?"

"She kept forgetting to put one on her rucksack. Was I supposed to just sit back and watch her turn herself into a hunched old woman?"

"Of course we already knew about the Trace, which must have been modified in this case to stick to a seventeen-year-old. We shall discuss the modification later."

Draco looked smug. It _was_ quite ingenious of him.

"The most disturbing on the list, to me, is the highly illegal Somnambulist charm, Mr. Malfoy."

"She was never hurt!" Draco exclaimed. "It's just that sometimes I needed to be able to _see_ her in the middle of the night, so I placed the recurring charm on her. It's not like I could sneak into Gryffindor Tower and finagle my way up the stairs to check on her for myself! _She_ had to come to _me_! I immediately returned her to her room after I was satisfied that she was fine."

The professors gave each other disturbed glances.

"She never woke up!"

That utterance did not help his case.

"Gripping charm?"

"I am trying to prevent her from ever dropping her wand, especially if she may need to defend herself."

"Seems superfluous considering the number of protection spells you have on her, Draco," commented Blaise.

"Apparently all those protection spells didn't protect her well enough! Look where she is!" McGonagall cried in exasperation.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and Draco started to feel guilty again.

No! This was _not_ his fault. As Flitwick was inadvertently proving, Draco was doing everything in his power to protect Granger.

"Is this interrogation finished?" Snape challenged. "We have deduced which charm is connecting Miss Granger to someone outside the portrait, and we know who that person is, and we know his intentions were honorable. Shall we now work to extract the girl?"

"Well said, Severus," Dumbledore called. He turned to portrait Draco and asked him to retrieve some books, then turned in another direction. "Hermione, please take out your wand."

"It won't work," Flitwick morosely said. "She'd have to have access to her magic-"

"She does," Portrait Draco said absently as he delivered the Headmaster's books.

Everyone stared at the painting.

"What? She does!" he defended. "She's been decorating like a bored trophy wife ever since she realized she could conjure things." He laughed and added, "Granger would like me to inform you that she takes umbrage with my depiction of any woman as a trophy. _And_ that such women would not have full lives and aspirations that do not require interior decorating. _And_ apparently I'm an asshole!" He grinned broadly at the group.

"We can't see the objects! What has she conjured?" McGonagall asked, her curiosity tickled.

Portrait Draco ignored the question in favor of being Granger's mouthpiece.

"She wishes for you to know that she has finally mastered changing a turtle into a tortoise. Why she thought that was hard is anyone's guess."

Everyone witnessed Portrait Draco's head snap forward as though someone had smacked the back of his head.

"She says I deserved that," he mumbled as he fixed his hair.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Young love."

"Oh, barf," said Blaise. "Seriously, I'm hungry. Can we get on with this?"

"Indeed," agreed Sprout, who immediately looked embarrassed for agreeing with the student.

"Mr. Malfoy, please take out your wand as well," the Headmaster requested.

He did as asked.

"Point it at my finger." Dumbledore moved his hand to the side and extended his index finger, then moved it away when Draco was correctly aimed.

Draco watched in fascination as Flitwick strengthened the impervious charm then cast an unknown charm alongside it…around it… _into_ it.

Draco was jealous of the tiny professor. _He didn't know that one_.

Draco was startled out of his contemplation by a _tug_ on his magic.

"What's happening?" he asked in a panic.

"I changed your charm into a… _different_ charm," he announced with a bit of sneaky pride in his voice.

"What charm?" he asked with suspicion.

"Never you mind," Flitwick deflected.

"You might want to back up," suggested McGonagall.

"Why?"

"To ensure that you get _her out_ of the painting instead of allowing yourself to be sucked _in_."

Draco recoiled from the frame.

"Granger says she can feel it, too!" Portrait Draco informed the room.

"Excellent," Flitwick clapped his hands twice in joy.

Everyone looked around the room at everyone else.

Time marched on.

"Am I supposed to _do_ something?" Draco asked.

"Be quiet," ordered Snape.

Everyone looked around the room at everyone else, _quietly_.

Draco was suddenly yanked towards the portrait, and Blaise lunged for his friend, helping him hold his ground.

"Its like magical fucking tug-of-war!" he yelled.

The combined strength of the two young men kept Draco in place, and soon the canvas _reliquified_ at the bottom right corner where Draco had trained his wand.

"Oh, dear!" McGonagall hurried to the frame. "Someone retrieve Madam Pomfrey! With haste!"

A/N:

A couple questions:

Is the language too strong for a T rating? I got a review that seemed bothered by the language. Having spent way the hell too much time around teenage boys I am quite accurate with that dialogue, especially when they don't have adult supervision. To be clear, I will not be changing the language, but I would change the rating of the story if many of you reading this think it should be rated M. I don't want to offend anyone, and if it is inappropriate to use actual swear words in a T-rated story, please let me know. Or that particular reader is more sensitive to swearing than I am, and it is fine as it is.

Who should the headmaster be? Since it is an AU, I thought of yanking an unexpected character into the role.

Have a great week, faithful readers!


	15. Chapter 15A

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 15

 _I regret._

 _I took so many memories from her. I took anything that cast the slightest bit of negativity or doubt on my intentions. I took every memory that proved that I really do love her and that proved that she did not take my feelings seriously or twisted my words into frivolous flirting. Or worse, when she looked for any angle that made my words seem hurtful instead of as they were intended._

 _I erased the times I really was just flirting, too, leaving her with only serious memories of me that support her opinion that I am defecting to the Order of the Phoenix. That I am going to fight by her side until we've won the war against the Dark Lord._

 _I stole the memory of our first kiss, itself stolen, but not by me._

 _I was selfish, which should surprise no one._

 _I peeled back the layers of my soul, then made her forget what was hidden there when she didn't react how I anticipated._

 _I played with her feelings relentlessly, just because I knew I could undo any damage I caused. I abused her trust. I manipulated every second we spent together since September._

 _How could I have done that and still claim to love her?_

 _I don't. I don't claim to love her._

 _I just do._

LAST DECEMBER

"You can't be in here, Malfoy."

"Why not? I'm not bothering anyone."

"How did you even know where I was?"

"Do you have any more exams?"

"Have you been in here the _whole_ time?" she persisted.

"Do you have to run off and study?"

"If you were in here while I was… _doing my business_ …we need to have a serious talk."

"Can you come with me to the Astronomy Tower?"

"Right now? It's almost curfew! I can't afford to lose any more house points because of you."

"Please? I'll make it worth your while."

"I highly doubt that."

"Really, Granger, have I ever let you down?"

"You did about an hour ago, Malfoy."

Remembering the recent confrontation, Hermione started trembling in anger. He thought being careless with young children was all right? Hermione was about to disabuse him of that notion.

"I did? How? Is this about my refusal to sing? Malfoys don't _carol_."

"It's about letting your buddies pick on the younger students."

"They were just blowing off some steam after their last exam!"

"They were terrifying those boys!"

"I didn't do it!"

"You also didn't stop it."

"It was harmless!"

" _Not for the boys_! Do you remember how _big_ the seventh years seemed when you were a first year? Those children have only been here for a few months, and you were _terrifying_ them!"

"I didn't do it!"

"Stop saying that like it makes a difference!"

"I can't control _everyone_ , Granger."

"Don't give me that! _You_ are the one they all look to for approval. If _you_ didn't approve, they wouldn't do it!"

He made the colossal mistake of grabbing Hermione's arm as she started to leave the room, and she had her wand out and pointed at his throat without thinking about it. She immediately regretted the reaction.

"Hey…I'm _sorry_ , Granger." His soft voice had her fighting to stay mad at him.

At that moment a young Hufflepuff girl entered, froze as she took in the situation, then looked in a panic to the stalls.

"Sorry!" she squeaked as she sped past the couple and locked herself in.

"Maybe the little girl's room isn't the best place for this conversation," Malfoy commented as he let Hermione depart first. Once in the hallway he continued, "Or maybe I'll find you later. I call a do-over."

"What? I'm just getting started! When I'm done with you, you jerk-"

"Obliviate!"

XXXXXXXXXX

STILL LAST DECEMBER

"Where are your trained monkeys?"

"Already on the train. Where are Tweedle-dee, Tweedle-dum, and the Mad Hatter?"

"Don't let Blaise hear you call him that. He has this damn beret he keeps trying to get me to like, even though it makes him look like a douche. Crabbe and Goyle are on the train. I need to try to protect them, so I'm sending them to Italy with Blaise."

" _Sending_ them? Won't their parents realize what's happening?"

"Granger, I haven't told them anything, so when they told their parents they were spending the holiday with the Malfoy heir they jumped for joy."

"Do you plan to get them to defect?"

"No. Sadly, they are both liabilities. They think like Slytherins, but…they are surprisingly soft hearted. And they only want to follow. They'd be dead in the first six months. I want Blaise to work his persuasive magic and get them to stay neutral."

"What if they refuse?"

"Try to get them to defect."

"Same question."

"Obliviate them."

"You can't just obliviate your friends!"

"I won't have a choice. I won't risk my life…or yours."

"And if they decide to defect?"

"I guess I'll start training them myself. Kind of like you're doing with Weasley. I won't be able to protect them, but I'll do everything I can to make sure they can protect themselves."

"What if…what if they _want_ to be Death Eaters?"

"No one _wants_ to be a Death Eater. If they become Death Eaters it will be because they don't think they have a choice. Their families are already firmly on a side, and they may believe their choice has already been made."

The Hogwarts Express blew its whistle, signaling its imminent departure.

Granger turned and started toward the train.

Draco followed closely behind, wanting to get in one last important question before fate and peer groups tore them apart.

"One more serious question, Granger." Draco watched her little butt as she climbed the stairs. "What do you want for Christmas?"

She was on the third step and he was stepping onto the first when she turned around to answer and instead leaned forward and gave him the _sweetest_ kiss.

Draco froze, afraid she'd scurry away if he made any sudden moves. He kissed her back softly, stepped up one more step, and pulled her waist into his.

 _Do I want this?_

 _Should this be allowed?_

 _She is kind and beautiful and she is going to change my life!_

Draco lost himself and deepened the kiss. Granger squeaked when he introduced his tongue into the mix. He angled her head back so he could kiss her deeper and almost lost his balance when the train started to move.

"What the fuck is going on?" a familiar grating voice interrupted.

"Pansy, don't-"

An ugly look came over Pansy's normally sharply pretty face. "Oh, no. _This_ ," she made sweeping motions between Draco and Granger, "is not going to happen. This bitch is trying to get to you, Draco. If this is part of your plan…just _no_. I am going to stop this _right now_. I'm going to take care of the _problem_."

Pansy gave Granger a little shove, and she started to tumble off the train. Draco grabbed her wrist and yanked her back to safety.

"Pansy! What are you doing?"

"She's a _mudblood_ , Draco. They are _all_ going to die. Just because you want to _bed_ this one," she emphasized with a narrow look at his trousers, "doesn't mean she'll be spared."

Granger regained her balance and quickly had her wand pointed at Pansy.

"I'll have you expelled for that! Malfoy, call the Aurors. By the time you get out of Azkaban-"

"Azkaban? For helping to save you from clumsily falling from the train? Draco and I will be heroes by the time we're done telling our story."

Pansy turned on Draco. "What is wrong with you? Using her to fuck with Potter is one thing, actually _fucking_ her is another. Keep it in your trousers if you still want access to my bed!"

Granger turned accusing eyes on him, and his throat tightened. "Not for a very long time!" he tried to fend off the next argument.

"Yes, Granger," Pansy said with a nasty gleam in her eye. "It's been almost a week since Draco visited my bedroom."

 _Shit_.

"It was innocent! She's making it sound like we did something!"

"We didn't? Let me grab Daphne. She'll tell you all about how mad she was because we were being _so loud_ the night before the Potions exam." Pansy smugly cocked her eyebrow at Granger and gave a small evil smile to Draco.

"See you in our compartment, Draco," she said pointedly and turned her back on them.

The train was picking up speed so Draco had the choice of yelling loudly or pulling Granger into a compartment to have it out at a civilized level.

Granger chose _for_ him and entered the train car quickly, banging her bag painfully into his chest. He took a deep breath and tried to catch up. She had attempted to pop into the first empty compartment and lock the door before Draco could enter, but her bag got in the way, allowing Draco time to pull the door open.

She sat in defeat, looking miserable.

"I didn't do anything, Granger."

"I no longer care." A tear dripped down the side of her nose, and Draco crouched in front of her. Granger avoided his gaze.

"Yes, you do."

"No," she said while shaking her head. "I'm not making this mistake. I will help you defect. I will support your joining the Order. But we will not be friends."

"Too late. We _are_ friends."

"I never wanted to be _friends_! What was I thinking? Why did I think for one second that I could have you? What delusion was I suffering? We're not _dating_!"

She stood, knocking Draco on his ass as she started pacing in short strides.

"I just thought…you've _have_ been flirting with me, right? Don't boys… _men_ …only flirt when they're attracted to a woman? Were you just taking the opportunity to make me like you? So I would help you? _I was already helping you_!"

Draco didn't know what to say. He liked her, but hadn't decided if he wanted to pursue anything. She was hot, and not as annoying as she used to be. She challenged him, but not unfairly.

She stopped and Draco craned his neck to see her face.

Her eyes were closed, and she'd stopped crying.

"Maybe I'm doing it wrong."

"Doing what wrong?" Draco asked as he found his feet.

"Doesn't matter. Anyway, you don't have to worry about it anymore. I'll never bring this up again. Just pretend that kiss never happened."

She started shaking a little and Draco wanted to hug her.

"I'm already humiliated enough, and Pansy's going to spread it around that I lost my mind!"

"She won't tell anyone."

"The hell she won't!"

"She won't. She'll blackmail me to keep it quiet. I'll take care of it. You'll be safe."

"I think you should find another compartment. I need to be by myself."

"Granger, you didn't-"

"Come on! I'm about to lose it here."

He gently grabbed her shoulders and looked into her pink-tinged eyes.

"I mean it. I'll take care of it."

Draco took out his wand and performed the memory charm.


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 15 Continued

 _Maybe I shouldn't have pressed my luck._

 _Maybe I shouldn't have used so invasive of a spell so frequently and on the same person._

 _Maybe I should have chosen only the dire circumstances, instead of just when it was convenient for me._

 _I was careless with the person that meant more to me than anything._

 _I knew I couldn't control people I didn't have access to, and that was the biggest problem. I was running on instinct instead of caution. Fix all your problems with magic! Isn't that what we're taught?_

 _When she asked me about the Weasley encounter over Christmas I lied, lied, lied._

 _She had doubts, and I ignored them._

 _I should have known I was digging my grave._

 _One memory I took…there were too many people involved. I only focused on her, and tried to take away her embarrassment. It was the one that was incomplete in her mind, because she was reminded of the incident too soon after, and it made her question what she knew._

 _When she woke up, suddenly and completely, Hermione Granger woke up with all of her memories intact._

 _All of them._

XXXXXXXXX

STILL LAST DECEMBER

He couldn't stop thinking about it. It had taken on mythical proportions in his mind and it made him _crazy_.

 _The kiss_. The kiss she wouldn't remember. The only solution was to get her to kiss him again.

That was the only explanation for why he was listening to tinny Burl Ives while someone's misbehaving children were tangling themselves in his legs.

Granger was in a muggle toy store looking at the most simple toys…wooden blocks.

He smiled as she took one block from two different sets and compared them.

Seriously.

Comparing _wooden blocks_.

One of the mini heathens started pushing all the buttons on a plastic box, making it bleep and squawk obnoxiously. He smiled at Draco as though he _knew_ he was being a little shit, and enjoyed being so.

Draco smirked back, lifted one finger, and touched the box.

It went silent.

The child's smile dropped. He grabbed a car that made siren sounds and started making it wail.

Draco touched it and it died.

The child was getting angry now and started grabbing everything in sight, forcing as much head-splitting noise into the air as it would hold.

Draco put his left hand on his wand and extended his right hand to touch the microphone the child still held. He timed the spell he channeled through his wand with the touch of his finger.

 _All_ electronic sound stopped, the lights flickered, and Draco stared intensely into the boy's widening eyes.

He moved his finger towards the boy very slowly, as if to touch _him_ with the _finger of death._

The lights went out.

The terrified child screamed.

Draco felt a claw wrap around his bicep and yank him towards the street.

"What js wrong with you?"

She was overly pretty today. Draco liked her hair all crazy, and she was bundled against the chilly London morning.

He could feel himself smiling too widely.

"Don't look at me all smiley after pulling a stunt like that!"

"You're just jealous that you didn't have the guts to do it yourself."

She tried not to smile, but she just couldn't deny the truth of that statement. "All the beeps and buzzes and bizarre noises everything makes in the muggle world shock me every time I come back from Hogwarts. It's like no one can stand silence."

"So, who are you buying boring toys for, Granger?"

She blushed a little bit. "Teddy. I'm sure he'd appreciate something muggle."

"Who's Teddy?"

She stopped and gave him a disbelieving look.

" _Teddy_. Teddy _Lupin_. Your cousin Tonks' child."

He gave her a blank stare.

" _Nymphadora's_ child," she clarified.

Surprise lit up his face as realization set in.

"Dora has a child? With _Lupin_? As in _Professor_ Lupin? He's like forty years older than she is!"

Hermione laughed. "Don't worry. _She_ pursued _him_. No one was scandalized more than Remus. It was extremely amusing to watch."

"Little multi-colored Dora has a child. Does he suffer the same affliction as his mother?"

"Are you asking if he's a metamorphmagus? Quite."

"Does he suffer the same affliction as his father?" he then asked in a dark voice.

" _No_."

Draco hadn't realized he was worried until he felt the tension drain from his body.

"So you were buying him a present."

"Yes."

"Why? Are you close to that family?"

"Not particularly. I'm on a first-name basis with them, but I wouldn't name my firstborn after either of them. I just buy presents for _everyone_."

"Why?"

"I love Christmas. I love everything about it. I want to share that with all of my family and friends."

Draco remembered what she'd confessed on the train and decided to press his luck.

"And what about those of us that aren't family _or_ friends?"

She raised a questioning eyebrow at him as she headed toward a cart selling coffee and cocoa.

" _Should_ I buy you a present? Somehow I don't think I could afford anything you'd want."

"I have all the belongings that I want, Granger."

"Good, then I'll just take you off my list."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out an unnecessarily long list. She pulled out a candy cane-shaped pen and started searching for his name.

Draco smiled as he heard her mumble, "Should've alphabetized the list this year."

He pilfered the list before she found his name.

"Firenze? Madam Pomfrey? _Kreacher_? Is that who I think it is?"

"Do you think there is more than one being on the planet named Kreacher?"

"You're really getting _every single one_ of these people gifts?"

"Before the 24th, if at all possible."

"You're certifiable!"

She laughed and paid for her cocoa, then handed him a drink, too.

"I'm not really on here, right?" He was a little disappointed. _Kreacher_ made the cut, but he didn't?

"You're on there," she said flatly. She tried to get the paper back, but Draco held it out of her reach. "Please give me my list back."

"Since you asked so nicely, I will. Just as soon as I find me," he added.

She looked a little panicked and started for his arm again and he chuckled.

He scanned the list. His name wasn't there.

There was, however, a name towards the bottom that caught his eye and made him smile his most flirty smile.

"Wait! Am I ' _Sexy Slytherin_?'' he asked, not expecting the swift punch to the gut.

She grabbed the sheet as soon as it was in range.

He took a moment to recover from the surprisingly hard punch, then another moment to mourn the piping hot cocoa cooling on the pavement.

She was making her escape and he trotted to catch up.

"I didn't know we were at the cute nickname stage in our relationship! May I suggest Deviously Debonair Draco? And I'll call you Gravely-Serious Granger. No. Heavenly Hermione. Luscious Lass! Must I use alliteration? I quite like the sound of Alluring Lady."

"Stop making fun of me."

"For stating a fact? I _am_ sexy, Granger. I'm surprised it took you so long to notice!"

"Stop making fun of me," she repeated more forcefully. She sped up until she was at the entrance to the Underground.

He caught her hand just before she took the first step down.

She looked down at his firm grip.

"Malfoy?"

He also looked at their hands, unsure of his next move.

"Granger."

He tugged her away from the steps and into his space.

"I…have to go. I'm cold, and I have a lot of shopping to do." Her cheeks bloomed.

He slipped his other hand around her scarf to keep her anchored.

She looked _scared_.

"I love that you care about which boring plain wooden block is more educational than another boring plain wooden block."

"They weren't plain! One was bright and one was more of a muted vintage set! One set had a slick finish that might be hard for his wee little hands to grip! The other set was a little rough." She forgot about him and looked thoughtful. "I might go back and warn the salespeople of the possibility of splinters. One set was in English _and_ French, the other just English. Would the French just confuse him, or give him a head start?"

Draco started to laugh, which of course offended her.

"I think putting effort into decisions is worth it to gain the results I desire."

Her kissing him impulsively surely hadn't had the results she desired, so Draco couldn't disagree.

"Christmas is the time I make sure everyone knows how much I treasure them."

"By buying them stuff?"

"Don't make this materialistic. It really is the _thought_ that counts."

"Fine. What were you going to buy _me_ , then?"

"I wasn't going to buy you anything."

Draco didn't know how to take that. He didn't want or need anything, so that was fine, and if he was on her list then she was at least _thinking_ of him.

"What are you planning, Granger?" Suddenly he was a little scared of what she may have done.

"No offense to Zabini or Goyle or Crabbe-"

"I'm sure you won't _mean_ to offend-" he interrupted.

She counter-interrupted with, "But you need new friends."

She punctuated her statement with a decisive nod, as though she had won a prolonged argument.

"I'd rather you gave me socks."

She used the hand he still held to drag him back towards the Underground.

"It just so happens, I'm to meet your new friends soon at the Leaky Cauldron. You may tag along."

"Potter and Weasley had better not be my fucking Christmas presents."

"Watch your mouth!" She looked apologetically towards the parents dragging their children away from the potty-mouthed young man. "And I would never subject Harry and Ron to you! I love them too much."

Twenty minutes and a terrifying experience on the Tube later, (Granger laughed the entire way because nothing out of the ordinary happened but Draco held on to the grubby bar with one white-knuckled hand and looped his other arm around Hermione as though she could anchor him as the car swayed and jerked.) Hermione entered the Leaky Cauldron with a disguised Draco. He insisted, since his Malfoy hair was a giveaway. He wanted to stay alive long enough to finish Hogwarts.

"Thought you were-"

"Pulling our legs. Couldn't believe-"

"He's really doing it. Sit-"

"Down and have-"

"A butterbeer."

"On us!"

Fred and George Weasley surrounded Granger with their assorted limbs and she looked so happy being hugged by the identical gingers that Draco got a little jealous.

One twin poked the other and pointed to Draco.

"Oh, sorry, man. We just love-"

"The Hermione, you know?"

"Didn't know you two had a _thing_."

"Here-"

"She's all yours!"

The twins lobbed Granger into Draco's arms like a reverse game of Red Rover.

He wasn't prepared…and _she_ wasn't prepared…and they both toppled to the ground with an entire percussion section's worth of noise.

" _Shit_."

"Sorry."

"Our fault."

"Completely."

"Maybe we'll-"

"Meet you again-"

"Some other time."

"When you're no longer-"

"Mad at us."

"Happy Christmas!"

Once they left, Draco gingerly picked himself and Hermione up from the ground. (No pun intended.) Everyone was staring, and Draco hunched his shoulders, hoping and praying that no one could see past his charmed features.

It only then occurred to him that neither he nor Granger had said a word the entire time the twins were there.

Granger had tears running down her face. She was bright red in humiliation. She tried to hide behind her hair as she made a hasty exit into Diagon Alley.

Draco caught up to her just as she turned into the bookstore. She led him into a dark corner.

Now she was humiliated multiple times, possibly hurt, _and_ behind on her Christmas shopping.

"Why can't anything go right? I no longer believe in karma, Malfoy. Do you know why?"

"What the fuck is karma?"

She continued as though he hadn't spoken.

"I've been nice _forever_ , without fail, even when it was painful, and still nothing _ever_ works out for me!"

"Are you hurt?"

Draco needed to make sure before he took care of this.

"What? No. Just my _ego_ , my _pride_. You know, nothing _important_."

"Good. _Obliviate_."

He hastily removed the charms disguising his identity and grabbed a stack of random books.

"Granger? I think I'm finished. I guess I'll see you around?"

"I must be…Christmas shopping. At Flourish & Blotts." She looked confused. "My order must have come in."

Draco smiled. Her color quickly returned to normal, and he turned to leave before she could question him further.

"Malfoy?" She caught his attention again with the humorous tone to her voice. "Are those presents?" She nodded to the stack of novels he was using as a prop.

"No, why?"

"I had no idea you read romance novels. Now I know what to get you for Christmas!"

"I was carrying them for you!" he tried as he blushed, and knew she did not believe him.

"Ooh! Sierra Tanqueray! My favorite! Excellent bodice rippers!"

He didn't know what to say, just fought to keep the blush from his cheeks!

Draco dropped the books on the nearest table, waved, and disappeared.

He'd done what he could.

He'd taken away her humiliation, her _mortification_ , and let her witness his own.

 _Happy Christmas, Heavenly Hermione._

XXXXXXXXX

NOW

"She's awake!"

"Hermione, how do you feel?"

Draco wanted to push his way through the glut of friends and professors surrounding Granger to see for himself, but was so relieved his body went slack in his chair.

When she came out of the painting she was covered in paint and barely breathing. Her body had started to become emaciated. In truth, she didn't look human.

It was a miracle that she was alive. Her body had been sustained by the same magic that allowed Draco's likeness to be "alive," but the professors were still shocked.

The spell was never meant to be used on a living organism, so Professor Flitwick was monitoring her right alongside Madam Pomfrey.

She was unconscious for only three hours, but those hours had dragged on.

Magic solved the problem.

Magic removed the paint.

Magic was used to diagnose her specific needs.

Magic was used to rehydrate her body.

Magic was used to help her regain consciousness.

Magic was used to undo any damage to her memory, and it was so complete that it broke the memory out of the _one time_ Draco's memory charm was weak.

Once the dam broke, all his memory charms started falling away.

 _He was so screwed_.

He didn't know any of that until it was too late.

"Draco Malfoy! I know you're here somewhere!"

He jumped up with a satisfied grin and took his place near the girl he'd obsessed over for the last month…really the last year.

He leaned over her to do something impulsively sweet like kiss her forehead, and she grabbed his tie in a surprisingly strong grip.

"Would everyone leave us alone for a moment?" she growled.

Draco gulped and tried to smile at the confused professors.

"Hermione!" Potter called. "What is it? What can we do for you?"

"Just a few minutes of privacy, please. If I don't fix this now I will regret it."

Madam Pomfrey spoke up, "I am uncomfortable with that, Miss Granger, so I would suggest we all give you some space and Mr. Malfoy could employ a Muffliato charm to preserve your privacy."

The advice was taken, and Draco's heartbeat sped up.

"Muffliato."

"You said you trusted me. You said fighting Voldemort was the most important thing to you, because the fact that he had power made your life worse. You said you didn't want to start anything with me, you _assured_ me of that fact. You were changing sides ultimately for selfish purposes, and I had to be sure that you understood the ramifications your actions have on other people. You're _powerful_ , Malfoy, and I'm glad you proved yourself."

She took a deep breath, let go of his tie, and continued.

"Then you stole from me. _My memories!_ Did you think I couldn't handle a little conflict? Did it ever occur to you that if you had let me keep my memories I would have worked through my insecurities where you're concerned and moved on, instead of the constant doubt, fear, and worry? I know you only do things for yourself, but if your actions can also benefit others, then I will support you."

He didn't know what to say.

Since her friends and the professors hadn't left, they were all staring at him and Granger in confusion and suspicion, making him double uncomfortable.

He knew he had no defense, anyway.

So he stayed quiet.

"Don't you _ever_ take anything away from me again," she ordered. "Including _you_ , you stupid jerk."

She yanked on his tie again and put her scrawny arms around him.

" _Stupid, stupid jerk_."

A/N:

If I ever start writing romance novels, I intend to use the nom de plume "Sierra Tanqueray." It's beyond cheesy and I love it.


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Trapped Behind You

Author: relativelypositive

Rating: T for now

Category: AU/Romance/Drama/Humor

Summary: Hermione was missing for an entire month, but she never left the library. It was up to Malfoy to save her, but he didn't know it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter related and I make no money from the use of the characters created by JK Rowling.

Chapter 16

"I think he's scared of me."

"Wait…you're telling me you remember _everything_?"

"How should I know? Sorry, now I know how you felt when I asked you the same question."

Hermione had been out of the hospital wing for two days now, with no sign of Malfoy. She had resorted to visiting his portrait out of desperation.

"Has he been to see you?"

"Daily."

"How does he seem? Is he remorseful? Embarrassed?"

"Plotting."

" _Plotting_?"

"Of course! You seem to frequently forget that I'm a Slytherin. I have a lot to lose."

"So he didn't say anything about me?"

"If you want to have a gossip session about whether or not a boy likes you, then you are in the wrong place. Go find a frivolous girl to giggle with."

"I never giggle!"

"Yes, you do. It's just rare. And sexy."

Hermione rolled her eyes. It was _really_ easy to flirt with someone you knew could never hurt you.

Hermione knew she wasn't going to get any secrets out of Malfoy's portrait, but general information would have been nice.

"So…what have you been up to? Visit any interesting portraits lately?"

"Not yet. I hosted a dinner party, kind of a get-together for my neighbors that was well attended."

"Really?"

"Fuck no, Granger! What the hell do you think portraits do all day? I sit in this library and read the books. I made a deal with Madam Pomfrey that she'll switch out a shelf of books every month so I will have new reading material."

"That was sweet of her."

"Not really. I had to promise to spy for her. This is a secluded study room, Granger. Before you claimed it as your own it had quite the bawdy history!"

"I don't want to know about it."

"Indeed you don't!"

They fell silent, Hermione aching to ask him more questions she knew he wouldn't answer.

"You look… _different_ ," he carefully commented

"Yeah. I lost almost two stone. I know I look atrocious, but my body sustained itself for the first two weeks by consuming itself. The enchantments that keep you 'alive' took care of me after that, but I obviously wasn't going to gain weight when I wasn't eating anything."

Hermione looked down at her uniform, which was hanging off her already small frame and sighed.

She had scared the younger students when she had emerged from the hospital wing. The halls were lined with well-wishers, and she knew the change in her appearance was more upsetting than she thought when the smiles dropped from their faces.

She smiled reassuringly, said she appreciated their support, and thanked them all for not giving up hope.

It did little good. She had made a great show of eating gobs of food at every meal, yet she was constantly gifted with sweets.

What did they expect? A body isn't meant to go that long without food or water!

She tried to put aside her frustration. It wasn't their fault. They had been scared for her for so long, only to have her reappear looking half dead.

"When I was in there…did I look like this?"

"No. You appeared as you always had."

"So what exactly…I mean…I wonder if you see things as they really are, or if you see things as you want to see them?"

"Frankly, I don't care! While I'm glad you're safe, I am finding myself missing your company. I loved being able to hold you. I love that you _let_ me do that! I also love knowing that I'll have that memory _exclusively_. _That_ me may have you out there, but in here I will always remember how you felt sitting in my lap, letting me feel you against me."

He gave her a smirk. "At the time I was just overjoyed to have found you, and soon after that the rescue effort had begun. By the time I realized what I had with you in here it was over. I had kissed you, and you hadn't obliterated me!"

His words made her remember the once-stolen memory of her taking a huge leap of faith and courage by kissing him goodbye on the Hogwart's Express.

"I once kissed you, too."

His face fell.

"You remember that, huh?"

"It's like it happened yesterday. _All_ of those memories are new to me. I didn't have time to process them as they happened. I'm still thinking through the ramifications of what we both said and did. I would have reacted differently in so many situations!"

"I know."

Hermione stared in suspicion at Malfoy. "You _know_?"

"Of course. You were _never_ meant to remember. I was calling do-overs constantly. If something didn't go my way I took care of it."

"Did you not care how I would feel about any of this?"

"No," he stated frankly. "Granger, this is _all_ for me. _Defecting_ is for me. Seeking your help is for me. Manipulating everything so that all situations ended up in my favor? Shouldn't surprise you at all. It's all for me, including saving you. I've never claimed otherwise."

"You are such a shit."

"I know."

"A self-preserving, selfish shit!"

"When are you going to realize that I don't care? In your eyes I am ultimately doing the 'right' thing, because it's what _you_ think I should do. You should be satisfied with that."

"The ends justify the means?"

"In a way. When I throw all my might against the Dark Lord there is no guarantee of victory. There are still a lot of things that could go wrong. I could be killed in battle. We could just plain _lose_ , which no one seems willing to accept as a possibility. It would be a pity, wouldn't it? For me to put so much effort into manipulating everything so that I could fight on the side I want to fight on, and ultimately end up dead anyway? Or imprisoned?"

"So…if _you_ were the one plotting…what would your first step be?" Hermione carefully asked, not wanting to break him out of his sharing mood.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Whether or not I thought I still had you."

XXXXXXXXX

"You're scared of her!"

"Am not."

"Then why, instead of sitting down to dinner like a civilized wizard, you just stuffed a _disgusting_ amount of food into your mouth and ran out of there? Do you think she's going to attack you again?"

"She didn't _attack_ me. She made sure I knew the error of my ways. Firmly."

"The way Potter explains it, she cut off your airway and yelled at you for five minutes as you slowly asphyxiated."

"He wishes. His little fantasies are amusing, yes? And since when are you two chums?"

"Since you started losing your mind."

"When exactly is that?"

"When she went missing."

"Well, yeah. I may have reacted badly to that."

"So," Blaise smirked, "what is your next move? Figure out how to get out of your classes tomorrow? She's in three of them."

"I don't think that's a possibility. I had a pass while I was helping with the Granger project, but now I'm expected to attend as usual. I already asked."

"Eight o'clock tomorrow morning, then? DADA? Seems oddly appropriate for your reunion. Assuming you're still avoiding the Great Hall at breakfast."

"No, I'll go as though it is a regular day."

"Really, it's the first 'regular' day this school has had for a month. Granger's back, so all is right with the world. You saved her, and you need to take advantage of the perks."

"I didn't save her. I put her in harm's way and lucked into finding her. She could have been dead, or she could have been invisible."

"You _did_. Now you need to capitalize on it. I think you should pressure McGonagall into getting you into the Order _right now_. There's no way the Death Eaters haven't heard about this. Candless was taken by the Aurors yesterday, so you know shit's not going well for your parents."

Draco put his left hand into his pocket. His father had sent him an owl telling him to be wary and prepared to run. He was sending his mother "shopping in Italy," which meant she was going into hiding, but he wasn't supposed to know that.

"My mother's missing…I assume she fled as soon as the news spread."

"Ha! She's not missing! She's right there…hugging Granger!"

Draco ran the other way.

A/N: Crazy week here, sorry for the late update!


End file.
